Winds of Hope
by AveryScarlet
Summary: Years later Avery has moved on and changed from the person she once was. Av has made a title for herself over the past few years in the guild going by the name of 'Avery the Typhoon' by many. All dark guilds fear her and rarely live to tell the tale of their encounter of the girl. But her past will soon back to haunt her no matter how hard she tries to forget. NatsuxOC
1. Prologue

**Ok this is going to be a small inro before chapter 1 comes out, which will probably take a while thanks to all the crap that's going on in my life.**

Current Guild Cards (Slightly updated and altered)  
Name: Avery Reinhart (A/N: II keep forgetting to correct this! It's Reinhart not Reinhert! Gomen!)  
Age: 16 (Ok Av was 9 when she first joined the guild and was there for almost a year during the A Tale of a Dragon arc. Just wanted to point that our before I say how many year's it's been!)  
Birthday: ?  
Guild Mark: Orange &amp; Red - Located on left shoulder (I wanted to put it on her waist... but I noticed almost every dragon slayer has their guild mark on their shoulder. O_O Excluding Lisanna of course before she left for edolas.)  
Magic: Storm Dragon Slayer  
Likes: Flying, missions with guildmates (Mostly with Natsu :3), fights, humans (finally!), and singing  
Dislikes: Sour things (mainly lemons), getting scowled by Erza or Makarov, magic council, those who insult Fairy Tail &amp; nakama, and dark guilds.  
Fears: Heights  
Magic Circle Color: Dark Grey (or just Grey)

Spells: (I think it's best if I mention how they work now cause it's really hard describe these kind of things. It's so hard to type down the action that's going on!)

Dragon Slayer Spells  
Storm Dragon's Roar (Ranryū no Hōkō) : The user quickly gathers and releases a storm from their mouth in the form of powerful, wild tempest blast. When released, a large amount of storm is released and uncontrollable once it impacts an opponent.  
Storm Dragon's Wings ( Ranryū no tsubasa) : The user rises their hand above their head collecting wind energy. Then swing her hand and release several numbers of scale shaped wind masses flying at the target.  
Dance of the storm dragon (Ranryū no odori) : The user creates two spiral tornado streams and place them at her own place, in order to block a long ranged attack. Used for defensive and offensive purposes.  
Storm Dragon's Double Claw (Ranryū no Nijū tsume) : The user ignites both hands with a fair amount of storm that is used to assault the enemy with a powerful enhanced slash attack with the use of both hands.  
Storm Dragon's Boreas (Ranryū no Boreasu) : The user collects storm energy into one hand then throw it directly at the getting in contact with the target it explodes and take form a a large whirlwind.  
Storm Dragon's Spiral Jaw (Ranryū no Rasengaku) : The user jumps in the air and, when they are upside down, transforms wind into a storm on their legs and kicks the opponent while rotating.  
Storm Dragon's Tornado: The user creates an enormous tornado, hitting enemies nearby and sending then flying up in the air, damaging every part of their body.  
Storm Dragon's crushing leg (Ranryū no Hassei) : The user ignites one of their legs and then swings it in an arc, striking the target with a powerful kick, strong enough to blast the enemy.  
Storm Dragon's Crushing Fang (Ranryū no Saiga) : The user cloaks one of their hands in a whirlwind and strikes the target with their fingertips, leaving behind a trail of wind, and swipes the target in a claw-like fashion.  
Storm Dragon's Wing Attack (Ranryu no Yokugeki) : The user generates a large wind storm from each of their arms, which twists and rotates to attack the targets in the surrounding area.  
Storm Dragon's Downburst (Ranryū no Daunbāsuto) : The user creates a storm above themselves and the opponent, then produces a straight-line of moving air that also produces a downdraft in the process. The draft impacts the ground, crushing those underneath and pushes those outside of it away as a strong vortex of air curls and pushes out over a small portion of the surrounding area.

Secret Arts: (I gave up writing it in romanji japanese. Too hard with this new keyboard and my translater won't work properly anymore for these new spells.)  
Shattering Wind: The user sends a slice of wind and cuts any near object in half, shattering it into pieces once cut on impact.  
Tempest Gale  
Tempest Gale: Storm Drill:The user only uses this when surrounded by clouds and strong winds, dives downwards into a spinning motion at the same time gathering both elements together and hits the opponent, causing a huge amount of damage to the body from the immense pressure and is strong enough to create a crater that is 12 acres of land. (restricted of use by Master Makarov)  
Tempest Gale: Ritual Dance: The user can only use this spell with a partnered dragon slayer, their hearts and mind have to be one in order to successfully act this spell. Holding each other arm in air saying the same chant that sound similar to a vow, both dragon slayers combine their elements together and create a huge storm that is combined with the other elements. It can be compared to Unison raid, but the difference between these two spells is that this one reflects the feeling of trust between only dragon slayers. (A/N: I removed that last sentence because it was a very embarassing thing to write. Just forget about it! I am not going to go back to A Tale of a Dragon just to fix that part! It's done and since you, as the reader, saw it already I am not going to fix it anymore! Forget I ever wrote that part!)  
Tempest Hailstorm: The user raises only one hand in the air and blasts a giant wind pillar up towards the sky, then crashes downwards onto the enemy with full force, gathering any other elements from up in the air, like lightening, snow, or rainwater.

Wind Magic  
Flight: Let's the user use the wind as means of transportation.

Song Magic  
Soothing Melody: The user uses their magic to let the users voice be heard by everyone and soothes the heart of those in pain, slowly making those who are listening remember good memories.

Name: Azul  
Age: 6 years old (Born a few months after Happy)  
Guild Mark: Blue - Located on her back  
Likes: Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, oh and... Happy!  
Dislikes: Anyone who flirts with Happy  
Fears: Scary looking people

Spells  
Aria(A/N: I'm not going to explain this one. We all know how it works! X3)

Azul: Kyaaah~! Don't read it! It's embarrassing...  
Me: Well... It's going to be very obvious later on...  
Av: That's for sure...

* * *

**_~Prologue~_**

"You bastards are really pissing me off! Ranryū no... hoko!" out of pure rage I jumped into the air and attacked all of the monsters that continued to swarm all around us in one hit. By accident, Azul was ended up in the mix of my attack, "Why me!?" "Ah! Sorry Azul!" I apologize when I saw her fly right past me. I turn back to the monsters with an enraged look, making all of those who were in my gaze back up and quake all over in fear of what'll happen to them now. "You'll all pay... for hurting my nakama!" I lung at them like a speed demon. In one hit a huge blast exploded the moment my fist rammed against one of the monster's butt ugly face. The moment the dusts cleared I had my fist up in the air with a triumph smile on my face as I stood on top of a pile of monsters. Right when I thought I had finally completed my mission, I felt the ground shake all around me and when I peeked over my shoulder to see what it was, a large shadow suddenly casts over me. Azul pops up from the pile and all of her hair stands up in fear. "No way!

_I'm coming home... Fairy Tail!_

+Two Years Ago+

-Me-

"Natsu! Avery!" we both look up to see Lisanna, behind her was her two older siblings. "Make sure not to fight while I'm gone okay? A father must be a good figure for his son~" she jokes and winks at the boy, slightly pissing me off at the action. I kept quiet and looked away. 'I hate this feeling in my chest...' I thought as I gripped the bottom of my pants. It's was just a normal day for me and Natsu, we sat under the tree that's located in towns park discussing a few things about the fight Natsu and Happy were having about fish. "Not that again Lisanna! Besides Av is here..." Natsu looks away blushing to the side much to my amazement. "Eh? Nani nani~? What's going on?" Happy teases. Azul notices my silence and places a paw on my hand, she knows about my secret negative feelings between their relationship, even though there are times Azul can be selfish thanks to her feelings towards Happy but she can be understanding in times like this.

For years I've had this sick feeling in my heart and no matter what I did, it always I felt a huge throbbing pain in my head.

**_Die... I hope you... die... He's mine..._**

I recognize this feeling, it's- "Lisanna wait!" I jump up on my feet much to everyone's surprise. I wanted to stop her, I don't know why but I just felt the need to stop her from leaving on their mission. "I... I... hope you return safely," and I knew I made a grave mistake that day.

+Few days later+

"Yo Av!" I groggly lift my head up from the table . Natsu looks down at me with his signature huge grin at me with Happy by his side as usual. "What is it? I'm tired Natsu..." I yawn as I sat up, still feeling tired after the affects of that long spar I had yesterday between him and Gray. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a mission today! I had one picked just for the tw-" I immediately interrupt him with a huge blush on my face, "W-What are you talking about Natsu! Happy and Azul are coming with us right? Right!?" He tilts his head in confusion and says, "Of course not! It's just me and you! Like the good ol' times!" My inner self was squealing in glee, 'Is this a dream! Somebody pinch me!' "No fair Natsu! You've been on countless missions with Avery! It's about high time I take her on a mission as well," Gray butts in after over hearing our conversation. "Urusendayo Gray! I asked her first! You had your chance!" and round two starts between the two.

I sweat drop but I couldn't help except smile at their usual antics. "Good luck Gray!" Happy cheers for the other much to Natsu and Azul's dismay. "Whose side are you one!?" they both scream in shock. "Go Natsu! Beat Gray's ass and go on that date for Avery!" I blush at Azul's weird cheers along with Natsu who was almost caught off guard as well. Now I see why Happy wants Gray to win, if Natsu wins we'll be leaving those two all by themselves and that's exactly what Azul wants, to take advantage of our leave so she'll have her alone time with the male cat, as for Happy it's the complete opposite of all that.

"Karyu no Tekken!"  
"Ice make lance!"

Before the two could attack one another the guild doors burst open, two of the Strauss siblings arm in arm crying their eyes out, with one person missing from the trio. Everyone froze but I already knew what had happened, Lisanna... is dead. 'No... No... It's all my fault...' I felt hot tears run down my eyes behind Natsu and Gray's backs. This happened before, whenever I hear that dark voice it's always a sign for me, a sign that the person I have dark feelings for will die. I felt the world darken around me. "Av? Oi Av! Hold on!" I felt myself fall to the side but in my blurry vision I saw a tint of pink in my eyes.

||Far in the East Forest||

While all the other guild mates were attending Lisanna's funeral; Natsu, Happy, Azul and I ended up visiting some sort of weird hut but I didn't say anything and helped the mourning dragon with whatever he wanted to do in honor of Lisanna. When we were finished, we stood before a handmade grave with her name on it, facing the sunset that was behind out backs. "She loved staring at the sunset... I think this is the best place for her," I felt pain in my heart when he said that. "I'm sure she would've, right Happy?" Azul asks the blue cat beside her in tears. "Aye... I'm going to miss her Azul..." I bowed my head down in shame and started to silently cry behind their backs. "Natsu... if I were to die on a mission-" I didn't realize I said that out loud when I felt a sudden pair of arms wrap around me. "Don't say things like that Av! I can't lose you too!" he cries out and starts crying on my shoulder. I too started to cry. "Calm down Natsu! You're not going to lose me! I never leave my friends behind without saying goodbye," and that back of my mind I though, 'that's why tomorrow I'll leave on my mission... without you seeing me leave... that way, you bot'

"C'mon Natsu! Stop crying! She wouldn't want to see you like this," I pat his back as I tried with all my might to hide the pain in my voice and reassure him the best I could as I tried to stop crying. I couldn't cry now, not infront of the person I cherish the most in the world is in much greater pain than I am in. This is the first in a long time I've seen Natsu cry this hard, not since that time when Natsu's muffler was ripped during his fight with Gray and he couldn't get over it for weeks. I patched it up secretly for him so he could stop blaming his rival for what had happened and stop rampaging all over the city. When I tried to push him away, he just tightened his grip on my much to my dismay. I sigh and said, "Don't worry... I'll calm you down." This is a spell I've been practicing for a while, I haven't quite mastered it yet but I was planning on using it in front of everyone once I was properly prepared, but I guess this counts as all.

**_Dear You_**

_Anata wa ima doko de nani wo shite imasu ka?_  
_Kono sora no tsuzuku basho ni imasu ka?_

_Ima made watashi no kokoro wo umete ita mono_  
_Ushianatte hajimete kizuita_  
_Konna ni mo watashi wo sasaete kurete ita koto_  
_Konna ni mo egao wo kureteita koto_  
_Ushianatte shimatta daishou wo totetsumonaku ooki sugite_  
_Torimodosou to hisshi ni te wo nobashite mogaku keredo_  
_Maru de kaze no you ni surinukete todokisou de todokanai_  
_Kodoku to zetsubou ni mune wo shimetsukerare_  
_Kokoro ga kowaresou ni naru keredo_  
_Omoide ni nokoru anata no egao ga_  
_Watashi wo itsumo hagemashite kureru_

_Mou ichido ano koro ni modoro_  
_Konda wo kitto daijoubu_  
_Itsuma soba de waratteiyou_  
_Anata no sugu soba de..._

_Anata wa ima doko de nani wo shite imasu,ka?_  
_Kono sora no tsuzuku basho ni imasu ka?_  
_Itsumo no you ni egao se ite kuremasu ka?_  
_Ima wa tada sore wo nagai tsuzukeru._

The next thing I knew Natsu, Happy, and Azul pass out after the song finishes. "Natsu... Sorry I have to go..." I whisper in his ear before placing him inside the hut and Happy by his side as the both soundly sleep beside one another peacefully. I felt horrible for doing this to him now out of all days, but I have to go now or else _that_ will happen to me again and I don't want any of them to get mixed up in the cross fire. "Crap I gotta go... They've probably destroyed almost the town by now..." I sigh and pick Azul up from the ground. I look back at them right when I was a few feet away from where they were, and at the exact same moment I turned around to face the sunset rain soon starts to pour down on me the next moment.

-Natsu-

"Av! Av where are you!? This isn't funny come out already!" I cry out as I ran around the guild and knock away anyone that got in the way of my search. "If this is another one of your pranks it's not funny! AV!" I only remember crying on Av's shoulder but the next thing I knew I found myself in the hut with Happy sleeping beside me, Av and Azul were no where to be seen. "Good luck trying to find her," I hear someone say to me behind my back. "What was that?" I asked immediately ticked off at the way whoever was talking to me. I found out it was Gray. Of course it had to be that bastard. "What are yo blabbering about snow cone maker?" as soon as I asked him the entire guild suddenly went silent. "What? Tell me!" I demand no longer wanting to wait for an answer. "She's gone Natsu... She left yesterday after the funeral..." Erza tells me with a small tear threatening to fall down her right eye.

"What!?"

-Azul-

"Are you sure we should leave Av? Natsu isn't going to be happy once he finds out."  
"It's fine this way... besides I needed to get away from him for a while..."

I knew Avery was just as upset as I am about Lisanna's death, but she never thought that the day we were suppose to leave for our friend to die. She had to delay our departure so she could be for Natsu and everyone else during the funeral. "Avery..." I gaze up at the girl as she continued to fly on ahead, but I was able to see a single tear drip out from inside her goggles.

++ 2 years later++

"Fūryū no Rasengaku!" I watch in amazementas Avery relentlessly attacks the giant monster at full force. I thought at the back of my head and smile, 'You're really strong Av... Probably stronger than Natsu by now!' Avery jumps in the air and let's out on last spell above the monster's head, "Fūryū no Hōkō!" In the giant blast, all of our surroundings were destroyed. Once the dust cleared up, I coughed a little before sweat dropping at the destruction that she caused thanks to her excessive use in her attacks. "Take that you butt ugly ogre!" Avery cries out in triumph as she stood on top of the monster's corpse. Behind her back the mayor and his towns people walk up to her with displeased looks on their face, "Ahem!" Avery freezes and robotically turns around to face the angry towns people. She nervously laughs as she scratches the back of her head, asking them, "Did I over do it...?"

I place my hand together in a prayer thinking, 'Good luck Av! Get ready for the hardest battle of your life!'

**_~To Be Continued~_**

**So how do you like it so far? Somewhere this month I'll FINALLY be able to post up chap 20 of Mercury Alchemist as well as the actual start of this new fanfic... Winds of Hope!**

**Me: Look at you now Reinhart!  
Av: Yeah! I can't believe I'm actually grown up now Scarlet! Also *compares heights* I'm taller than you now *smirks*  
Me: Shut up...! -_-*  
Av: But it's true!  
Me: Only by a few inches! Besides I'll be older than you next year! You just turned 16 today! So take that!  
Av: Er...!  
Azul: I'll take it from here then... AveryScarlet does not own Fairytail! Only me, Av, and many others to come! Ahem...  
Av: Ah! Ok um... *reads the script* Two years... huh Azul?  
Azul: Mmmm! I can't believe we can finally see Happy again! What should I do!? I have so much fish to give him! Kyaaah! Happy~!  
Av: Uh... yeah...  
Av&amp;Azul: Next time on Winds of Hope... The Return of the Storm!  
Av: Am I ready... to face everyone again?**


	2. Chapter 1

_~Avery's Intro~_

_Magic is what makes us for who we are, __it defines us._

_We mages use magic for many different purposes._

_Me? I use it to protect my friends._

_There are others who use it for darker purposes._

_That's why I continue to exist._

* * *

**_~Chapter One - Return of the Typhoon~_**

-Normal-

Natsu was left alone on the train up against one of the mages of the dark guild Eisenwald, named Kageyama, who was having a 'conversation' with him at the same time hitting him. Sadly, Natsu was unable to move much so he was not really able to fight back. From behind, a girl from behind them sat there patiently and listened to their conversation. "Do you know what we call Fairy Tail in my guild?" he asked in a dark tone, except Natsu was barely able to make any words. "Flies flies," Kageyama starts to chant it over and over again.

He then swats Natsu at the top of his head, in a way that was getting the dragon slayer over the edge. Their little eaves dropper couldn't take much more of it, so she finally spoke up, "And why exactly do you call them flies?" Kageyama turns his head with a confused look, but instantly changed back to normal, "Because they're nothing but a bunch of stuck ups who annoy me." "Really now," she stands up before offering, "then I guess you won't mind if one of those so called 'flies' would have a word with you."

The stranger then turns to face the newcomer, only for Natsu to be surprised and an evil smile forming on his lips. "And you are?" asks a very clueless dark mage. In one swift move, a gust of wind hit his face like a a very powerful punch that could break a normal persons jaw. The train then halts in place, causing their enemy to panic, "Uwa! Emergency break!?" Natsu stood from his place with a a dark look on his face. "You mess with wrong guild buddy!" both Fairy Tail mages cracked their knuckles and looked back at each other.

"Geez... you just had to go off on a mission," the stranger sighs, putting a hand on her hip and look at Natsu in disappointment. Natsu scratches the back of his head and apologizes, "Sorry Av! Erza was the one who got me in this mission! I can't exactly say 'No' without getting a beating from her!" Avery chuckles at this, "Well if you put it that way! I guess there's nothing you can do when it comes to Erza. Though you could've at least left a note!" Kageyama lunges at the girl crying out, "Don't forget your oppenent!" Avery slightly shifts her body to glare at the dark mage, and the moment he could lay a finger on Avery a sudden blast hits his body and send him back down to the wooden floor.

+Earlier that day+

-Me-

I walk down the rocky path with my hands at the back of my head, Azul floating beside me with a sour look on her face. "What's with that look? You've been acting like this since we left," I point out, poking the cat's face. "I hate my dress..." she complains and points down at her new outfit. Since her original one was torn up during the mission I had the leisure to making a new dress for her, and by the looks of it Azul didn't like my tastes as usual. I frown at this, "C'mon! You know how expensive those materials were! You didn't even give me enough time to think of the designs from all that crying!"

Azul still didn't seemed satisfied at all no matter what I say to her, all she said was to make her some new flashy clothes nothing else. Now she's just looking down at them as if they were handmade rags! Okay that are hand made but that cloth cost me about 30,000 jewels (me: That's what the money is called right? O_o) from that old merchant we met up with in the last town. It was a last minute purchase so I can get Azul to stop bawling her eyes out and think about heading home, or at least think about Happy so we can head home without any sidetracks.

I ruffle my hair and finally gained the nerve to ask the cat, "So what do you want then? Make it quick so I can make some adjustments! I want to get home before any asshole decides to challenge us here on the spot!" No joke. Thanks to Natsu there's always a random stranger, or a group of thugs, asking to challenge me to a fight. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with that nickname I suddenly got. "Hmmm... I got it!" she whispers into my ear of what she wanted. Honestly, I almost ripped her head off for it.

"Who wants a frilly dress that size!? Your clothes are practically as small as a baby!"  
"It's not my fault I was born like this!"  
"Hey don't look at me! I don't lay eggs!"  
"Dragons lay eggs!"  
"I'm a _dragon slayer_! A human being that was raised by a dragon! Not born from a dragon!"

We have a very strange relationship. Sometimes we would fight, sometimes we would act like sisters, and there are times where I would be the motherly figure to her since I'm practically her mom in a way. But she's my best friend, next to Natsu and Gray at least. "Alright strip," I order the cat, finally giving in to her weird demands. "I'm not like ice stripper!" Azul screeches and magically throws her clothes off at the exact same speed Gray does. I sweat drop thinking, 'And yet you strip that fast... I hope Gray got rid of that problem already or else I might have to glue his clothes on again.' We got to a small shade so I could properly work on her outfit.

I took my sewing kit out and prepared the orange thread, which Azul chose out of the varies threads I have available, then calmly put it through the needle. Azul stares at me in amazement as I got to work. "You really should start making clothes for the guild! You can even make uniforms for everyone!" her suggestion was innocent and nice, but that wouldn't happen. "Natsu would probably burn them off the moment he get's in a fight, remember? It's a good thing I was able to find him from fire resistant material before he ended up running around naked like Gray," I smile as she laughs at the reminder.

"I almost forgot about that! Maybe the girls? Erza would most definitely take it in a heart beat! She even took that seduction outfit you were making," my face turns red while Azul just looks up as if she was picturing it in her mind. I pop the idea screaming, "Forget I ever made that! It was meant for someone else not Erza! I don't even know why she wanted it in the first place!" "Oh~? For Natsu perhaps~?" Azul's smiles widens when my reactions confirm it to be true. I intentionally rip the cloth. "You want me to finish this up or not!"

Not long after that Azul twirls around happily at the finished product. "Now Happy will surely fall for me this time!" she makes a first and her eyes will with hope. I face palm at this, 'He only thinks of you as a friend!' "What do we have here? A girl and a talking cat?" our moment was over when we found ourselves surround by weird looking men. "What do you want?" I ask them seriously. "Oooh! We got a feisty one here! She'll make a nice catch for the master!" one of them grins wickedly as he licks his lips. That's when I spotted the marks the bear, they belong to a dark guild.

My face slowly darkens as I ordered, "Azul... get out of here... I'll deal with them..." Azul nods without questioning me and flies up into the tree above us. I stood up as the wind around me picks up. "You messed with the wrong wizard... Furyu no yokugeki!" In one blast all of the men were sent flying up in the air in a spiraling tornado then came back down as if it was raining men. "Never mess with... a Fairy Tail wizard!" Azul sweats drops then shrugs, "And that's why you're called Typhoon Avery..."

+Few hours later+  
||At the Guild||

"Thanks for the drink!" I slammed my last cup of juice onto the bar counter, feeling the heat from my last mission. On top of the bar counter were tons of empty cups that had already blocked anyone's view of the back. "Those are too many cups!" some shout with their eyes bulging out. Mira started to clean up the mess while I just stared at what she was doing. I really miss the old Mirajane, but she wasn't the only one that had changed. "Hey Mira, where's Natsu and his feline?" I ask in curiosity, after realizing how quiet it was in the area.

"They left for a mission not too long ago," she informs, "along with Gray and Erza." I sulked in my seat and placed my head down onto the wooden surface muttering random complaints, "I can't believe they left... I already went through the trouble of souvenirs... do they even miss me...?" Behind my back was a large pile of boxes all stacked in the center of the guild, many guild member who I knew scramble towards the pile and look for a box with their name on it, while some tried to steal the others but ends up getting into a fist fight.

Suddenly, much to my surprise, Azul slams her head on top of the bar counter. I sweat drop and ask the depressed cat, "Oi... are you okay?" She lift up her head and cries out as a large waterfall pours down her eyes, "Happy's not here! I travelled at top speed just to see him again! Why? Does he hate me!?" This cat and her weird _love life_, sometimes I wonder if she even realizes that her feelings will never be requited if Azul continues to relentless attacks on Happy.

'Thanks god it's not valentines day...' I though as a memory bubble appears above my head, Azul pouring a crap load of fish above Happy's head as the cloud read out 'I Love You Happy!'. The bubble pops when Mirajane comes into the picture. "Why don't you go after them if you want to see them that badly?" she asks us with her usual smile forming on her lips. We both look up at her with shock written all-over our faces. "Are you sure it's okay?" I ask her, unsure if it would be the right choice.

"Of course it's fine! If there's one thing that I've learned from you is that you never give up!" Azul may have sounded mature there, but wait until later cause this will only last for a few seconds. "So you can meet your prince char-" I instantly threw one of the cups at her face before she could finish her sentence. "How many times have I told you to stop teasing me about that!?" I shrilled in anger as I stood up from my seat.

I sighed and looked at the mission board thinking, 'Azul does have a point... I finished the mission way faster than I was supposed to so I can see everyone again.' A small smirk then forms on my lips, after realizing the one best thing to ever happen. Turning my attention to Mirajane, I instantly asked, "Is the old man here?" "No, he went out out for a meeting with the other guild master's," my hopes instantly shot up like fireworks along with my happiness.

A burst of wind blew around my body, helping me float in the air easily like a feather, but the sudden wind did cause a few Fairy Tail mages to be blown away. Azul got the idea and summoned her wings back, after straightening herself out, and started to fly up to my side. "Thanks Mira! I'll see ya later!" I waved good by before completely making my leave, which had to do with my departure up through the ceiling. I know I'll regret it, but now was not the time to worry about that now, my friends are out there on a mission and I'm not there with them! I was missing all the action!

I sniffed the air, getting a weird look from Azul. "Do you have to search for their scent?" she complains, sweat dropping at how I took in the air. I glared at her and asked, "How about you try and track them?" Azul just sighs, giving me a hand signal to continue what I was doing.

Continuing my search, I found at least one scent and it belonged to the one person I wanted to meet the most. "Natsu! C'mon Azul he's this way!" I yell enthusiastically and shoot forward to where ever he was.

++Present++

Who ever this guy was, he pisses me off for making fun of our guild so of course I'll get him for it. "Next time you go off on a mission at least leave a note," I teased before making wind build up around me arm. Natsu smirks at this, "Sorry but I knew you'd find me Av when I went out." In one swift movement, Natsu had punched the guy towards me, then I did the same thing but towards the chairs behind his back. I smirked at this, happy that he was able to feel the double dose of Fairy Tail's best mages. "Hey Natsu," I call out as I walked to his side.

He turns to face me, but only got a fist on the head as soon as he was about to open his mouth. "What was that for!?" he yells holding onto his poor swollen head. "That's what you get for being an idiot! Now c'mon the train is about to move," I tell Natsu when I heard a small sound from the train's wheel.

"We've confirmed that the emergency break was due to a false report. We'll depart shortly, we apologize for your inconvenience."  
"What!?"

"I'm getting outta here!" he screams while trying to get his pack from the rack above as fast as his cowering hands could go. I then noticed that our 'passenger' has finally got back conscious. "I-I won't let you get away! You just picked a fight with Eisenwald! Don't think you can get away you pathetic fly!" that name sounds familiar, but by the looks of it Natsu wasn't paying attention to his threat, he was paying attention to the insult he just gave us. "Same goes for you now that I know your face now!" Natsu threatens back with a raised fist and gives his a very dark look.

The train then starts to slightly move so I warned Natsu in a panicked voice, "Natsu we have to go now! The train is moving!" I think he got the picture, he was already about to vomit by the time I turned back to look at him. "I'll get you next ti-!" of course Natsu couldn't finish his threat, his face shown that he was already turning pale and about to barf. I sighed at this and pushed him towards the window to help. "On the count of three I'll push you out... one... two...!" I instant threw in out the window before Natsu could object.

The glass shattered as Natsu is pushed forcefully through the window, I could hear a shout from outside and that person sounded really shocked, "Natsu!" I was going to get out but something grabbed hold of me leg, "What the hell!?" When I turned to see who it was, the stupid guys had used some sorta shadow magic to keep me from leaving. "Geez... I thought you only wanted to get back at Natsu," I grumble in annoyance, stepping on the shadow with my other foot. I hated this guy's persistence in wanting to get back at us by the minute, it was too damn annoying for my taste. "Avery let's go!" Azul calls out with her paw extended towards me. "That strength of yours... what exactly are you?" I hear Kageyama ask me behind my back.

I look over my shoulder and answer darkly, "I'm the typhoon that knocks away those with evil intention against anyone and my nakama. I'm a... dragon slayer!" I took the small paw in my hand and kept a good grip on it, and before you know it, we flew out of the train in a flash. Laughing at how high we were, I looked up at Azul and half asked half laughing, "Do you really need to show off!? Hahaha!" "But isn't that where the excitement comes from?" she laughs happily, then lets go of my hand so I can fly by myself. After a few short seconds on calming down, I offered to head to where Natsu had landed and probably to where the others were.

She instantly shot down behind giving me a good straight answer. I chuckled at her enthusiasm. Knowing Azul, she probably just zoomed over there just to see Happy. Of course I had to follow her down, not only because my friends were there, but to save Happy's nine lives. Or at least 2 if I can. When I got there, Azul was already attacking Happy endlessly. Even though I wanted to say something so they would know I arrived, they were too busy watching the two felines. "Happy I missed you so much!" screeches the crazy-in-love cat, who tried to get a hold of the other.

"Natsu! Save me!" Happy pleads as he kept on running for his dear life. The reason he wasn't flying away was because Azul here is the fastest when it comes to speed, almost at the same level of my speed of flight. I think its my fault because she's like that since I was very fast and did not need her help in flight, I guess you could say she adapted in catching up to me. The first one to finally catch her was, of course, Erza who was very unhappy of Azul's actions. "Where's Avery?" she asks evilly, at the same time calm. She shudders in Titania's grasped, mouthing words that were inaudible for human ears.

Only I could tell what she was saying, she said, 'She's right above you your dark eminence!' "Who is this Erza?" the blondie asked, curious as to why Azul chased after Happy and how they knew each other. "This one here belongs to a friend of ours named Avery , she's been on a mission since half a year ago," she informs the stranger, placing the female cat on the ground when noticing Azul finally calmed down. "Yeah but since Natsu here is useless, we can't really tell if she is back," Gray points out, pointing a finger at the very sick fire breather.

Natsu retaliates by sending a fireball at Gray's head. "You bastard! Try that again I dare you flame brain!" Gray yells. Natsu yell backs, "Bring it on ice stripper!" "How 'bout we focus on the situation at hand here! Besides we need to know where this Avery person is!" the blonde girl reminds the dup and tries to tear them apart from one another with all her might. Azul on the other hand had finally caught Happy and was snuggling him (more like strangling) the cat to death, she then squeals, "Avery and I brought so much fish for you Happy! I mostly got all fish for you... but who cares! I get to see my Happy again!"

Remembering the cat's presence, everyone, except the new girl, then suddenly asks, "Where is Avery!?" I couldn't hold it in anymore, my patience has finally got the better of me. "Ahahahaha! Have you guys really forgotten how to know when I'm here or not!?" my sudden laugh had caused everyone to look up in surprise. Floating in the air, my arms were crossed and I had my goggles on. "You guys mean thee Avery Reinhart!? She's been known to be the best wind mage in Fiore! And has been given the name Avery the typhoon!" blondie screams in shock, staring at how well I was flying in the air.

"That's because she is a typhoon. You wanna know how many buildings she destroyed in all her missions?" my feline asks sarcastically, gaining a glare from me. When I landed on the ground, I did it with as much grace as I could without making a mistake in blowing everyone away. As soon as I did, two bodies pounced on top of me in an instant, on was small and the other was big. I tried my best to keep my balance without falling on the ground. "Av it really is you!" Natsu exclaimed which I sweat drop at, confused as to why he was happy to see me when we saw each other earlier.

Happy I can understand, but him? I gaze Erza and Gray a quizzical look. "He says he's got amnesia from the hit we both got. But he seemed to remember those guys perfectly," this made me even more confused until I saw a bruise on both boys' heads at the same spot. I went into a laughing fit after realizing what had happened to them, even Azul was laughing with me. "It's not funny!" both scream, only to make things worse for Azul and I. Our reunion was cut short though, Erza had told us about the Dark guild Eisenwald which I was happy to tell them about.

"I see so that guy we beat up was from Eisenwald... no wonder his scent stunk like hell..!" I exclaim with a disgustedlook as I tried to get the remainder of the smell out of my nostrils. Lucy sweat drops, "Fairy Tail has many characters don't they...?" "I came across them before during my last mission... Before I nearly destroyed the town of course. They were looking for some sorta thing called the 'lullaby' and seemed to really want it badly," I gave them about every info I had on Eisenwald like who I encountered during my trip. "Have you perhaps heard of the name Erigor from any of them?" Erza asks sternly, soaking everything I had told them.

I nod my head 'yes' then answered with a very unsatisfied look, "He's that stupid so-called wind mage right? Well he better not come across me cause he's an embarrassment to all wind users. That bastard thinks death is such a fun thing to mess with... " Impressed by my words, she then turns to the four behind her back and gave them quick orders, "I need everyone to get on the four wheeler! We have a train to catch!" Without wasting a single second, everyone went on board except for me and Erza. "Are you coming in?" that was the only time I'll say no to the armored women.

"Nah... I have my own ride," in response, wind blew around me once again as a point to remind Erza of my capabilities. When everyone had already got inside and made their move to follow the train, I was already beside it by the window where the Blondie was. "So, who's this?" I ask without telling anyone I was there. She screams in surprise when she then saw that it was just me. "I-I'm Lucy Heartfillia!" Lucy stutters in her introduction. I smiled, taking her hand with mine, "I guess you're that girl I've been hearing about!"

Lucy gave me an odd look until I started to explain, "People told me about a mage that had beaten up a giant ape in the mountains with her bare hands! So you must be her!" Instead of being bashful, she ended up being depressed and mutters, "That was all Natsu..." Disappointed at this, I made a small lie saying, "Man... and I would've offered you to the weekly wizard... Such a pity..." I think I caught her attention cause when I was about to go up ahead. Lucy shouts and taking back what she had said earlier, "I am that very wizard!" I burst out laughing at her actions until a single tear was coming out.

"I like you newbie! You're a lot more interesting than you seem to be Lucy," I gave her one last smile before heading up, "just don't get killed on this mission!" Soon the fourwheeler went even faster than before, causing me and Azul to almost lose them at the dust trail it was leaving behind. When I got to where Erza was, I noticed how tired she was but at the same time serious. Worried about my dear friend, I offered but it was not a question, "I'll take the wheel for you! You're already at your limit Erza!" The only response I got was a weary smile and reassures me, "I'll be fine Avery...! There's nothing to worry about."

I wanted to pursue her any further, but knowing Erza she won't listen to me once she has a goal set in mind, so I sat beside her and tried to take the controls from her. "Avery you can't-!" Of course _that _problem has to come up again. "Shit... not again..." I mutter, feeling that all to familiar sickness creeping up my body. Gray, who was still trying to hold on for his dear life, see's this and pushes me off the seat causing Azul to catch me in time before my body would meet the rocky road. Azul berates Gray for his actions, "What do you think your doing Gray! Avery would've been injured if I hadn't caught her in time!"

"As if I'd let Avery torture herself before my eyes! Besides she has another important job to do! Bring her down there now before I change my mind!" Gray was very serious this time. I blush at this, clearly understanding what he meant but I just smiled gratefully at him. "Remind me to repay you later after this!" I wink at Gray making him turn pink this time. I made the move to go inside after Azul let's me go and zooms through the window, accompanied with Happy's screams from the inside. I said one thing with a big grin before going down to the others, "Be careful Erza! If you go any faster not only will your magic drain, but there'll be a higher chance the wheeler might not make it by the time we get there! It's not meant to withstand this kind of speed! We'll get Erigor don't worry!"

I finally decided to join the rest inside the vehicle. Big mistake... The moment I stepped inside I felt sick all over and I ended up collapsing next to Gray since Natsu, who is also sick, sat beside Lucy. "I... I hate my life..." I mutter, crossing my arms and trying to keep a straight face, sweat rolling down my face as I tried to hold back the urges of puking. "I guess all dragon slayers have motion sickness..." Lucy concludes at the sight of us being sick. I tried to get up but I ended up being forcefully pushed back down on my seat at the sudden force when the wheeler sped up, causing Natsu and I to turn feel even more sick than before and it was not funny.

"Someone just kill me..." I groan as I tried to keep a straight face. Azul sighs, "You both are hopeless..." She goes to Natsu's side and lightly pushes him so he lean on me, when his head ends up on my shoulder we both were no longer sick much to everyone's surprise. "Wha!? Their not sick anymore!?" Lucy was too shocked to even move from her place anymore from the sight. "You see, we always used to go on mission together. I found out by accident on our way back when Natsu here fell on my lap and was suddenly better. It's helped a lot since," I explain as I lightly pat Natsu's head, who just blushes and looks away.

"And it's been a real pain in the ass too," we all jump at Gray's sudden presence. "Gray! When did you get in here!?" Lucy and I jump at his sudden appearance inside the vehicle. Gray steams in anger for some reason and just gives a loud 'hmph!' while I spot Natsu smirking at his rivals' weird reaction. 'Gray should already know about this... why is acting so weird?' I thought in confusion. Thankfully, Lucy brings up the situation into light by asking, "Where have you been exactly? Natsu and the others have been telling me a whole bunch of stories about you, but I've never seen you in the guild since I joined."

"I was taking an S-Class mission for 2 years."  
"You're an S-class mage!?"  
"Of course not! I got permission from the old man since I always did my job too well, it was suppose to take me two years to finish... But I got lonely and Azul was nearly broken so I had to wrap the mission up quickly, also I wanted to see my friends again."  
"That's amazing... What... was your mission?"  
"Supposedly I was meant to take down a forest beast that was about 8 feet tall, it happened in the far east. I know the town by heart so I know that was report was false since it's the magic council that personally requested for my assistance in the extermination. Seems like their own army couldn't handle it."  
"Oh... what!? Then that means you're really as powerful as they say you are! You probably fought with Erza millions of times to be this strong!"

I was blushing at all the praises Lucy was giving me. "I-I'm not that strong Lucy! Any rumor you've heard about me is all on Natsu! Beside these guys are a lot strong than me," I say bashfully as I hide my face. Happy asks me as he tries to hold back a smile, "But what about that time you sent Natsu to the hospital after beating him up to a pulp?" I grip onto Happy's head and lift him up to meet my dark gaze, "You know why Happy..." "So what happened to that 8 foot monster?" Gray asks me. "That was the last thing we fought Avery... Actually we fought 120,000 monsters," Azul corrects.

Gray leans back in his seat with a small ball of sweat rolling down his cheek, "That's almost close to Erza's record..." I just laughed at how pale everyone was turning. "You've been awfully quiet Natsu-" I freeze when I see him staring right into my eyes. "Uh... Um..."

-Lucy-

The two couldn't stop staring at each other, and I also started to notice a little tint of pink forming on Avery's cheeks. I whisper into Azul's ear, "Are they dating...? They haven't stopped staring for a while now..." Azul sighs and shrugs, "They're not dating don't worry... Just make sure Avery doesn't hear you... she'll kill you if she heard you ask that...!" I soon start to sweat all over from Azul's words.

-Back to Me-

We stopped by a nearby train station only to find out Eisenwald has taken over a train, the very same one Natsu and I were on before we were forced to hit and run. Azul flies up the hill and tells me, "It has to be them Avery there's no doubt about it! There were people talking around about a man with a giant scythe threatening to kill everyone on board if they don't get off the train!" "Crap we're too late... Erza! We're going on ahead! I'll try to slow them down a bit so you guys can catch up to them!" I tell the armored mage as I lightly push Natsu off my shoulder and prepare to get out of the vehicle.

Before my body was half way out the window, I felt to hands grab mine, one cold and the other warm. I chuckle at this knowing who those two were without even looking back, "I'm going to be fine guys! Stop worrying and focus on the mission! You wouldn't want Erza to go ballistic on us now do we?" I look over my shoulder and flashed a grin at the two both, though that didn't seemed to reassure them one bit. They've always been like this around me so many times. I have to choose my words carefully around them when I'm about to do something dangerous such as this, if not you'll see me strapped to the chair bound by ice chains made by Gray and a huge fire pit made by Natsu.

Av: That bad!?  
Me: I wonder why... :3  
Av: What's with that look... O_O  
Me: Hehehehe...

They're that worried about my safety! "Make sure to kick his ass for me Av!" even though he didn't let go, Natsu grins referring to the asshole who was beating him up in the train before. Gray on the other hand was still unsure about this. "Why not I ponder for a second seeing as how both boys haven't complied yet, then a devious idea popped into my head. "I got it! Who ever saves me first if I don't come back immediately can sleep over at my house for a week!" I smile at them happily. Ok that's not a devious idea, I'm not that evil enough today like I usually am when it comes to pranks.

Lucy and Happy gap in shock to see both of their heads steaming while Azul, who was able to make it out first, tries her best to stifle her laughter when she see's the reactions on their faces. I got out in a flash right when I felt their grip loosen on my wrist, without wasting a second I was already outside in a gust of wind. "I'm counting on you Avery!" Erza calls out, preparing to take off again. I nod then said, "Be careful on the way Erza! We have passengers and others on board don't forget that!" "Others!?" the two were petrified while it was Lucy's turn to not laugh.

"Natsu I think Avery doesn't like you anymore~" Happy teases. As Azul and I fly off at high speed towards where the where the train could've gone, I sweat drop seeing how Azul was trying her best not to fly back after hearing Happy's cries. "Avery you hear that!? Happy misses me already!" the demente cat squeals happily as she listens in on the sounds of the blue cat travelling all the way to where we are. I just nervously laugh at her while thinking at the back of my head, 'He's screaming in terror... not crying...!'

I couldn't help but gaze back down as the group below us watches, Natsu on the other hand just lookedat me seriously then flashes his goofy grin at me again. I flicked my goggles on in response and gave him a thumbs up. "Alright Azul we have to get there quickly! Can you catch up with me!?" I ask Azul. She smirks at me and puts on her own goggles. "You kidding! I can beat you any time, any where!" We both nod in approval to one another then boost our speed to the max.

_'I'll protect everyone for sure... I won't let you do this... Erigor!'_

Ending: MAD Fairy Tail Ending HD - made by ALL Anime -MAD-Op-ED-AWV

**_~To Be Continued~_**

**_And there you have it! It's a crappy start I know and Avery is a lot more serious than I had anticipated... But then this is the battle field and we all have to get series in the front lines! Don't think I'll forget making the second chapter soon! The first one is actually longer than I thought it would be, though I wanted all of you to feel satisfied at the start before the second chap comes out! Make sure to find the vids on youtube! The youtubers do a very good job on making these awesome vids and I wanted to share with you what I find whenever a chapter comes out._**

**_Me: Avery is busy right now after having to fly around so much. So today I have Azul here to fill in her shoes for today!  
Az(ul): Hai hai minna!  
Me: Now the difference between how I usually end M.A. to Winds of hope is that I'll be giving out trivia questions for you guys to answer!  
Az: We thought it would be nice to see who out there knows their Fairy Tail!  
Me: Not all of them will be Fairy Tail based questions...  
Az: Jah I'll pick the first question! *Digs in the basket*  
Me: Oi oi careful with that! We're starting with the easy questions remember!  
Az: I know that! Hm let's see... Was there any changes done in the_****_ first opening from the very first episode to the second episode?  
Me: Animators love to change a few detail on anime openings and it takes someone with a very good memory to notice this! I noticed it only after I re-w_****_atched the episodes to inspire me in making the first chapter.  
Az: Ganbaru minna!  
Me: Hey look it's Happy!  
Az: Where!? Happy wait for me! *flies off*  
Me: ... *sighs* She's gone now Happy.  
Ha: Arigatou Ave- I mean... Scarlet... chotto...  
Me: You can just call me author-san then. ^_^||| Names are hard this time so I get it.  
Ha: Are you related to Erza...? O_O  
Me: Of course not!  
_**


	3. Chapter 2

_~Azul's Intro~_

_'I may not be strong... but I use my_

_magic to keep up with that person._

_It's because of her that I was able to_

_become as strong as I am today!'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 2 - Shinigami Vs Dragon~_**

::Clover Town::  
-Normal-

Me: I tried using the eng dub as a way to help... but I just hated some of the voices so I just went back to sub. This is what I get for listening to Japanese dub for too long! I don't know if the subtitles is right since I'm too lazy to translate on my own. At least I'm honest here!  
Cat: Japanese is usually better than the english dub depending on the show.  
Me: Why are you here!?  
Cat: Haru said that since Reinhart is a newbie here he wanted me to fill in for a bit till everyone get's used to her.  
Me: *glares*  
Haru: I thought it would be alright!

"Makarov-chan, your mages are so energetic!" Bob, guild master and founder of Pegasus, comments. The guild meeting was as boring as ever to Makarov; eating, drinking, and etc were the only reasons why he even wanted to go in the first place, besides the free booze they have at these meetings. Also he knew a few old faces would be there so he might as well join in since it would be nice to be away from the guild just for a little while. Bob continues on, "Ooh! I heard that you gave some aristocrat a thrashing." He didn't know what the man(?) meant when he remembered someone. "Oh, that was my new recruit Lucy," answers Makarov as he takes another gulp of his beer.

He even said this, not only because he's drunk, to mess with Bob, "She's great! What a boyoyoing figure she's got!" Bob turns away to cover his eyes and exclaim, "Stop it, you flirt!" "Is this something to be laughing about, Makarov?" a voice spoke up behind his back. Makarov looks over his shoulder to see his old pal Goldmine, master of Quatro Cerberus (Me: Or puppy! XD), acting as serious as ever whenever it comes to situations such as Fairy Tail's usual problems. "Yeah, it's great they're energetic, but they go way overboard. There are people on the council who're worried Fairy Tail's gonna crush an entire city one day you know," Goldmine points out.

As usual Makarov didn't really care what the council thought, for now his drunk mind couldn't care less if they were listening to what he was saying at this very moment. "I wouldn't mind to be crushed... by Lucy's body, that is!" the tiny old man cheers happily. Bob waves it off when he heard this, "Now that's not proper!Don't go laying hands on your own little wizard wizardies!" Things were fine until a messenger bird flew into the room. "Master Makarov! A letter from miss Mirajane!" it tells him before dropping the letter into his hand.

"Thanks."  
"You're welcome."

He circles his finger around the stamp seal till a green magic circle appears above the envelope and reveals a projection of the girl smiling up at him. "Master, hard at work at your regular meeting, yes~?" was the first thing she asked. Makarov starts to show off the image of the girl to the other guild masters asking around, "What do you think? This here's our poster-girl! Quite a looker, eh?" All of the men surrounding the table gawk at the sight of Mirajane. "Mirajane, huh? She sure looks like she's grown up," Goldmine comments.

"Actually, something wonderful happened while you were gone. Amazingly, Natsu, Gray and Erza formed a team! I think this is the most powerful team in all of Fairy tail! I figured I should report this, so I wrote you a letter," Mirajane informs me happily. I could feel my world shatter at what I was hearing, my best and most powerful mages are in the very same team, meaning ten times more destruction than ever before. What else could go wrong...? "Oh I almost forgot to tell you master~ Avery just arrived home not too long ago," I almost felt relief wash over me when Mirajane suddenly finishes, "she went after Natsu and the others on their mission as well~" I fell back in defeat with my soul flying out. 'We're doomed!'

-Lucy-

Right as soon as Avery left, Natsu immediately went green again. "You need to stop depending on Avery flame brain, or else she'll get sick and tired of you," Gray smirks at Natsu knowing he won't be able to able to talk back at him. The only thing that came out of Natsu's mouth while trying to hold back his vomit was, "Shut it..." I sigh, "She even get's sick without him..." I then look back up at the sky where Avery and Azul flew off to, the way she just accepted to go off and take on an entire guild by herself was really incredible of her but it's also scary to think about since the Lullaby is with them. "Say Happy... Has Avery ever fought with both Natsu and Gray?" I ask.

Happy ponders on this for a few seconds then finally answers, "About 200 times in total they've tried!" "200 times!?" I repeat in terror, an evil image of Avery standing over their beaten up bodies and laughing evilly like a monster. Happy nods, "Mostly it's about this weird competition those two make whenever they fight her! Usually about who can last longer in a fight against her." "They already know that can't beat her... and yet they still continue to challenge her," hearing all of this from Happy amazes me even more. I've heard many stories about her so many times in and out of the guild, and most times it's about those she took down two dark guilds in a day all by herself.

I never thought those stories were true to begin with, but after what Happy just told me and how everyone else here has so much confidence in her abilities on facing Eisenwald all by herself I can see she's as strong as they say she is. "Avery Reinhart... the Typhoon of Fairytail."

-Me-

"Av I see it! The train's down there!" Azul points out. The train was just about to entire a very crooked mountain pass, but it's nothing we can't handle. I nod in approval and ordered, "Azul! I want you to go back to the others and tell them I'm charging in! Knowing Natsu he won't be able to answer if he's still travelling with the others! Not to mention let anyone answer for him...!" Azul salutes and then flies off, "Yes ma'am!" All I could do is sweat drop as she flies off and leave a trail of hearts behind her back, I never understood why she likes Happy so much, as you can see she changed 'Aye Sir!' to 'Yes Ma'am!' just to show it.

"Azul needs to put her feelings aside and remember what's at stake here!" I shook my head as I turned my back from her and swiftly flew at high speed towards the stolen train.

-Azul-

"Happy Happy~!" I hummed to myself happily. I sadly look back over my shoulders as Avery flies off by herself towards the train. "You have to depend on others Av... you can't always be their shield forever...!" I whisper under my breath, a small teardrop threatening to come out.

++Flash Back++

_I watch as Avery continuously attacks her personally made practice dummy, that wore badly made garments that were meant to look like a dark mage, and never wasted a second on casting another spell. "Fūryū no Rasengaku!" she made the final blow on the test dummy but... "Av you went too far!" I cry out when I see the practice dummy shoot up all the way up into the atmosphere, and it didn't seem that there was a chance for it to ever come back down to earth. I started sweating all over and began to imagine it, 'What if she used that spell on a real enemy...!?' "A-Av...! How 'bout you use less destructive spells next time?" I ask her nervously._

_ Avery looks at me in confusion and asks innocently, "What are you talking about Azul? All of my spells are destructive! Besides I'm supposed to defeat the enemy right?" I quickly answer, "Yeah but not send them to outer space!" __We had to take a short break since Avery launched her last dummy out into a random direction, again, This isn't the first time she's done this, there are times when she sends it straight into town and would, rarely, hit the guild by accident. I watch silently as Avery sews up another dummy using the last remaining animal hide she had left and use tree bark for god knows what. "How you train so hard Av? Aren't you already strong enough to defeat Natsu?" Avery stops what she's doing. _

_"I want to protect my friends... they saved me from myself... So I'm going to do whatever it take to protect my nakama! Even if I have to be their shield it won't matter as long as I can protect them!"_

++End of Flashback++

-Me-

"Fūryū no Hōkō!" I made a gigantic hole on one of the train carts as soon as I caught whiff of that shadow bastard from before. I lower myself down carefully and make sure I didn't touch the ground, if I did then I'll be screwed on the spot like earlier. I used the large cloud of dust filling up the train as a smoke screen so I can get to where that one person was, facing all the other members would be too much to handle in an area like this. 'That lullaby has to be with him... it has to!' I then spoke a large figure though the smoke. I launched myself towardms the figure, "Ranryū no... Nijū tsume!"

But instead of hitting my target, it just disappeared and my wind acted as a fan instead, allowing all the dark mages to see me. "Crap..." I cursed under my breath and prepared myself for an upcoming battle. That is until- "So those flies sent out the big guns to do their dirty work," I quickly turn around and flash a glare (me: Not a finger!) at the man floating a few feet higher from where I was. "I must say I'm quiet surprised to see you again Typhoon. Back so soon or did you flee like the weakling you are?" I spat at the man, "Shut it! You sure have a death sentence to talk about my nakama like that... Erigor!"

This seemed like a joke to him, and the more he chuckled at my words the more I felt the inner dragon in me ready to kill him right when I have the chance. I aimed a blade of wind at him which Erigor easily dodged with his eyes closed. "You must really have a death wish to face the storm Erigor," my eyes darken the wind around picks up, "you better take back what you same about my nakama... or you won't get out of this alive." "Hahahahaha! So the battle between the shinigami and the dragon has finally arrived," he aims his scythe down at me with a crazed smile on his face.

-Normal-

Gray went back outside since he didn't want to go near Natsu, not only because he can't stand being near him but to avoid getting puked on him if Natsu throws up. (A/N: I entirely forgot the episode of that arc so when I tried to fix it there was no way I could at that point.) Most of them knew this, even Lucy understood just by how the two act whenever Av is around or even mentioned, Gray just didn't want the girl to be left alone with (fire) dragon slayer. Happy suddenly feels a shiver run down his spine, "My Azul senses are tingling...!" Lucy sweat drops and looks at the cat with a weirded out look asking, "What are you going on about now?"

Me: Pffft! Bahahwahahaha! I'm sorry I just had to write that! XD I ended up having a spider man marathon while typing this!  
Gray: That's really weird...  
Me: Says the guy that strips a lot... and is naked at this moment! X_X Put some pants on for god sakes!

The next thing they knew, a flash of bright orange zooms in at Happy and then causes him to instantly crash down to the wooden floor along with the orange figure on top of him. "Happy! I'm so glad I caught up with you guys! I was so worried you'd forgotten me!" it was Azul, cuddling Happy to death with hearts not only in her eyes but also hearts flying everywhere. Practically hitting the faces of those who were inside the vehicle. "Wait a second...! What are you doing here Azul? I thought you were going to help Avery stall the train?" Lucy asks her, saving Happy in the process from further cuddling with Azul.

The only response that came out of the female cat was, "She wanted to do it alone." Natsu suddenly stops puking out the window when he hears this, this was all to familiar to the boy and he knew exactly what Avery was planning to do. 'Av...'

-Back to Me-

"Gah!" I scream as I was forcibly pushed back at the sudden attack. I landed on top of the damaged part of the train, and in the rumble were other members of the dark guild that were caught in the blast when I crashed. I burst out of the debris and got on my feet, but then- "Shit... why now!?" I covered my mouth as my motion sickness started to kick in again. At the corner of my eye I saw a purple flash for one second and then I heard Erigor's voice cry out, "Storm Shred!" I dodged the attack in time as multiple wind blades crash on the wooden floors of the train as well as his collapsed comrades.

"Bastard! Don't you care what happens to your comrades!?" I yell at the wind mage. I ran up to one of the bodies and tried my best to help the man out, without puking my guts out in the process, then placed his safely on the floor. I may not like dark mages, but to treat your comrades like this in such disgusting actions makes me sick to the bone. "Comrades? Ha! Don't make me laugh Typhoon! You and I both know that a guild such as mine has no need of thoughts like those," I could feel every ounce of my body boiling while Erigor smiles down at me in a sadistic many.

I slowly started to float back up as wind around me started to pick up. "Even so... to treat humans like this..." I immediately launched myself at him, "is despicable!" I aimed my fist right at his head except all I punched was nothing but air, enraging me even more seeing that he was ale to move his head to the side with that stupid smug look on his face. "Ranryū no Hassei!" My leg sticks up in the air as I happily watch the wild winds fly towards Erigor's direction. But the moment I thought I got him, he disappears right when the spell was about to hit him and appears a few feet behind my back.

In an instant, it felt like my back was being shred into pieces. "Wind blade!" I was sent flying forward but I was able catch myself in time before I was far from where he and the train are. "For a dragon slayer you sure have gotten soft over the years," he aims his scythe at me, "still following that stupid vow of yours?" I tried to make a move but pain instantly shot in my back. I clutched my side muttering, "You bastard... using a cheap trick like that on me..." With that said, purple like smoke started to slowly rise from my wound.

He frigging poisoned me. I knew it was a good idea not to eat his wind. Not only because I know it'll taste like shit, there was this small gut feeling that it would've been to simple to simply eat his attacks then win just like that. "Tch... how come I had a feeling you'd pull off such a dirty trick?" I wince when I felt the pain spreading across my back. "I've heard about what you truly are by her," he spoke up making my freeze in place, "she told me so much about your past deeds. I must say it makes my work look small compared to yours."

I immediately attacked him on the spot, grazing the side of his face as Erigor is caught off guard at my sudden actions. "I'm... not... like... you!" I roared as I continuously hit every part of his body without wasting a single second. Images of my past appeared in my head as I cried out, "I made a promise that day never to let that happen again...! I swear I will defeat you! No matter what it takes!" "Let's see if you can Typhoon," he dares. I snap and lunged at him at full speed, but what I never expected was for a purple cloud of smoke to appear right in my face. "Like I said Typhoon she told me everything about you... especially on how to defeat you."

-Normal-

Almost at their destination, Erza quickly stops the vehicle as soon as she spots a certain orange haired girl laying on the ground a few feet ahead. On the inside everyone was toss around and Gray almost lost his grip again for the rough, unprepared for the sudden stop. "Hey what going on-" Erza immediately slaps her hand metal over Gray's mouth. After she pulls her hand away a red hand mark was left on his face. She puts a finger to her lips then points. Confused, Gray follows her direction until he spots the girl in the distance.

"Stay quiet...! I'll handle the others while you take care of Avery," Erza orders as she takes the cuff off her wrist. They both knew if Natsu found out he would lose control and run off after Erigor, it would cause problems for both the team and Avery in calming the dragon slayer. Gray jumps off and runs to Avery's side as Erza stayed behind to quietly explain to Lucy and Happy without Natsu and Azul in on what's going on. "Avery...! Get it together...!" Grays mutters as he carefully lifts her up in his arms.

"Ore...? Gray...? What are you doing here?" Avery asks after regaining consciousness. "I should be asking you that," Gray's frown deepens at the sight of her body, covered in bruises and multiple cuts all over her. There was no way to keep this from Natsu. She blankly stares up at him before realizing what's going on. "Where's Erigo- Itte!" she screams in pain as a sharp pains shoots through her back. Shocked, Gray pulls Avery and forces to to turn around to get a better look. "Gray? What's wrong?" He tightened his grips on her shoulders.

"Av... don't fight anymore," he blurts out all of a sudden. She felt her anger bubbly up at this, "Don't tell me what to do Gray! I can still fight!" She tries to turn to face her but he had a tight grip on her shoulders. Suddenly, she felt Gray lean in and place his forehead against the back of Av's head. "If you won't do if for me... do it for Natsu," he begs, his body shaking in fear.

Avery looks over her shoulder and weakly smiles at the boy, "You know I can't do that Gray. I can't just wait around and do nothing as long as my friends are in danger. Taking Erigor down is my number one priority in this mission. That's why I followed you guys!" Grays sighs at her stubborn attitude, but that one of the things he knew he can never change in the girl. "Hai hai..." he gives in. Gray shifts around behind her much to her confusion until she felt herself being lifted up from the ground without warning.

Avery wraps her arms and barries her face in his chest much to Gray's embarrassment. "A-Avery..." he stammers at the sudden closeness between the two. He did have good intentions on carrying the girl since she's unable to move properly, but he never expected THIS to happen! "H... up..." her words were muffled. He could barely hear the girl with how fast his heart was beating at the moment. "Eh?" This time Avery orders him in a louder tone, "Hurry up! This height is too much!" He sweat drops at this, reminded of how strange her fear of heights is.

A depressing aura surrounds Gray as he thought to himself, 'I should have known... Never get your hopes up Gray.' As he carries Avery towards the vehicle, Erza and Lucy look over at two with relieved looks in their eyes. Avery didn't really care much at all what was going on right now, all she could focus on is that fact she's off the ground and is stuck up in the air, it was the only thing that made her stay in Gray's arms. On the inside of the vehicle, the once sick dragon slayer picks up on their scent and immediately recognizes Avery's scent, but a vein pops on the side of his head when he recognizes a disgusting scent wraped around her.

"Gray!" he roars in rage much to Lucy and Happy's shock. They both sat there petrified as Natsu bursts out, a piece of debri hitting the side of Erza head, and charges up at the two with a blazed first. Avery saw this in time and throws herself out of Gray's arms and leaves him to let Natsu punch him. She didn't bother trying to save the ice mage, after the first 20 failed times she tried to make peace between them Avery saw that there's no hope of that ever happening.

"Why you...! What was that for!?" Gray yells. holding his throbbing cheek. "Get your hands off Av! You know how much she hates perverts!" Natsu growls. "I keep telling you I'm not a pervert!" and with that another fight ensues between the two. Avery just smiles at their usual antics and tries her best to keep her wound hidden from Natsu. "Avery!" Azul flies towards the girl and jumps into her arms. "What happened!? Where's Erigor?" Azul looks up at her worriedly. Even though the pain was still there on her back, Avery tried her best to force her usual smile at her partner.

"Well he pulled a dirty trick on me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground beside the train tracks," she lies as she tries her best to smile with all her might. Not entirely believing her story, Azul floats out of Avery's arms and goes behind her back and is shocked to see the large wound. "Avery... your back..." Avery freezes as Azul floats in place petrified at the sight. Avery whips around and hugs the cat. "Please don't tell Natsu... None of you were suppose to know but I collapsed on the way back..." she admits.

Azul could understand why she would hide something like this from them, they both knew that they'll find out no matter what. "Enough already!" the both wince at the sudden crashes behind them and turn to see Erza angrily looming over the two as their heads were stuck to the ground and the lower parts of their body sticking up in the air. "We need to focus on the mission right now! Avery! Where were they heading?" Erza asks Avery, keeping her killer eyes on the two. "They were heading towards Oshibana station," that was all Titania needed to know.

She pulls out the two by their legs, drops them to the ground, then leaves as if nothing happened. Avery rushes to the two and asks them worriedly, "You guys okay?" "A-Aye..." Natsu responds as he tries to sit up. "That hit was nothing compared to how you hit us..." Gray grounds and sits up ruffling his hair. "Hehe..." the next thing they knew, Avery leans in and kisses them both on the forehead. "Arigatou," she smiles at them sweetly. They both sat there steaming while Lucy, Happy and Azul watch the trio.

"Hey Happy... when you said those two always challenged Avery... what was it they asked if either of them won?" Lucy asks still watching with wide eyes and a small blush of her own just watching the sight. 3...2...1 "I don't know," Happy blurts out. "Ah! You're such a useless cat! I don't even know why I asked!" she fumes and crosses her arms. Azul just shrugs, "I want to tell you Lucy but if I do those two will be at me non-stop."

-Back to Me-

As we rode our way to Oshibana station, I couldn't help but wince every time we hit a bump below. I know Erza is in a hurry to get there but if this keeps up I think I might snap any moment now, or lose all feeling in my back. It was even harder at this point to keep a straight face with Natsu on my lap constantly staring at me whenever a small sound escapes my lips. "Wh-What is it Natsu? You've been staring at me weirdly for a while," I painfully smile down at him. "Your scent... it's different than usual."

I froze on the spot when he said that. Natsu has told me many times, thankfully only around me, that my scent changes whenever I'm feeling sad or- "What did that bastard do to you? Did he hurt you!?" the moment Natsu gets off my lap, both of us turn green and started to get sick at the same time. "They're useless..." Lucy sighs and lightly pushes Natsu so that would fall on top of me. What we didn't expect was for another bump and for the both of us to end up having trouble inside after Erza ran over a second bump. My back slams on the seat, sending a whole new wave of pain.

I cover my mouth before I could scream, that is until Natsu and I found ourselves in the most awkward position possible. His arms were outstretched from side to side on both sides of my head, it was to prevent him from crushing me in the process but being this close to him was too much. Especially feeling how close his body heat is radiating on me. I immediately turn red and punch him away, "Don't get so close to me pervert!"

Me: As Natsu pointed out before, Avery hates perverts. :3  
Haru: So considering how almost everyone in Fairy Tail are perverts it's nerve wrecking for her.  
Me: ...  
Haru: What!? What's with that look!?  
Me: Hmph! I'm still pissed at you! *walks out*  
Haru: Wait Avy! Uh... on to the chapter!

-Azul-

Not long after they arrived at their destination, Oshibana Station, everyone was already charging towards the train station and also trying to get past the huge crowd that was swarming by the minute. I was following them as best as I could, until something had caught my eye. Evil aura was seeping out of the building and there was one spot that took her interests. Flying towards the area even faster, Happy then saw as to where I was going so he tried to stop me from going.

"Azul wait! The others are already making their way to the station," but was already too late to stop me. I snuck into an open window and tried my best to be as quiet as possible. Down below, I saw few men with the marks of Eisenwald on their bodies so I had to be careful. "They mentioned a flute so..." I flew to the other side of the building. After the long wait of seeing who would have the Lullaby, I was about to give up until suddenly appeared with the very thing I was searching for in his hand.

"Is everything prepared?"  
"Yes Erigor, but there is a problem."  
"And that is...?"  
"Fairy Tail has come to interfere with our plan."  
"And what is the problem there Kageyama? They are nothing but a stupid guild."  
"That's not the problem... Avery the Typhoon is among them... the 'key' that we all have been trying to avoid."  
"I see... so she still breathes. I'll take care of that pest once and for all."

'Key...? What do the mean Avery is the 'key'?' Confused,I turned to make my leave until a sudden burst wind surrounds me. It wasn't anywind. Erigor had used his wind magic to trap me, the poor cat. Even though I tried to get out, the wind just slices every bit of her body, like as if a million scissors were slicing my skin. "And it seems that her little feline spy has caught in our conversation," Erigor smirks at how hard I was trying to get out. He brought me down to their level to take a closer look at the spy.

"What should we do with a spy like you?" he asks in a amused tone, pulling me closer to his face. He then starts to snicker evilly as well as gives a very dark, but happy, face.

-Me-

I watch as Erza made her futile attempts to ask the workers of what's happening. "What's going on inside?" she asks, then bangs her forehead to the guys before he could give her an answer. She kept this up for a while and it had caused both Gray and Lucy, who was carrying a very weak Natsu, to get frightened at Erza's actions. "She only likes people who answer immediately, doesn't she?" Lucy quivers in fear. "You know her better now," Gray answers just as scared as Lucy was.

I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on. I was actually more worried about Azul then the mission itself. I stared up at the sky and thought worriedly, 'Azul... you stupid cat. Where are you?' Lucy notices how worried I was so she decided to give me a light pat on the back. "Don't worry Avery, Azul will surely contact you!" her reassurance had really made me slightly happy. Lucy's encouraging smile got me to smile as well. "You're right Lucy," I put on her shoulder and smirked, "let's go and show those bastards what we're made of."

When the both of us decided to take a look at the armored girl, we both sweat drop at the sight of people lying down on the ground either dead or just passed out. "Everyone let's go inside," those were the orders we all wanted to hear. Throwing the poor guy away, Erza goes on ahead of us, along with Gray by her side. An announcer starts to do a little announcement which gave us good details of what happened earlier. "A military platton went in but they have yet to return," the guy shout from the inter-com."A battle's probably going on inside!"

Oh man that person was wrong, we had already entered the building but the whole entire army wad lying all around us as we made our way up the steps. I felt sorry for them, even though I hated the royal army, they didn't deserve this kind of treatment. "Hurry the platform is up ahead!" Gray hollers from ahead, giving us the signal to get prepared to for what lies. The wind around me was suddenly thick for some odd reason, I couldn't put my finger on it as to why it felt so heavy. We were inside, right? "I've been expecting you... Fairy Tail," the voice of Erigor spoke up as soon as we came up to the surface.

Every member was waiting for us, Erigor himself was there as well and was, surprisingly, not attacking us yet. "It's been a while Avery," he snickers in amusement. "Yeah... it's been a while since I've smelled that horrible stench. You really need a bath," I say sarcastically, plugging my nose and used my other hand to fan the air in front of me. In truth, the guy literally smelled bad! Or maybe it was just that I hated his wind way too much. "Natsu wake up! The enemy is here!" Lucy panics and tries her best to wake him up.

"Impossible! It's futile after the three trips he made, " this sudden information from Happy shocks the blonde. "I'm considered a transportation!?" Lucy asks. "What do you intend to do? Depending on you answer, I might have to make you pay for it," and not nobody, and I mean nobody should take Erza lightly when she's mad. Trust me, been there done that. "Here's a clue, it's inside the train station," and as he said that, Erigor uses his wind magic to fly up in the air. "Yo air head! We don't want to smell something that came from your rear end!" I yell back with sarcasm in my voice, crossing my arms and made my own wind as well.

"Uh... are you really sure it's okay to intimidate him!?" shouts a very scared Lucy, trying her best to keep Natsu from flying. He flew up towards one of the posted speakers up ahead as all of us try to figure out his intentions. My eyes widened in shock after I realized what Erigor's plan was. "'Time's up," he announces, tapping on the metal speaker. "You're going to broadcast the lullaby!?" this was the most shocking thing ever to come out of Erza's mouth.

"Of course... even if you can play it, you'll only waste your energy since it can only be heard in a fair distance. And this is the best place to test it," I compiled everything all at once, which shocks Lucy a bit as to how much I've gathered. "Avery maybe a hot head," I glared at Happy who just ignored it, "but she has a knack to figure an enemies plan quickly and can even see through their attacks weakness." The wind around bursts around me to give a perfect display of my anger.

This was like a stand off between two wind users, but this is more like a dragon versus a shinigami. "I am a shinigami! The God of Death! If we play the lullaby to those people outside... they will listen to a melody of death," while Erigor was enjoying himself up in the air, I for one was getting even more mad. "So you plan do to mass murder on innocent people!?" Gray shouts in anger. I wasn't taking it well either.

"Those fools who live their lives enjoying their rights, not knowing that there are people who have revoked their rights. Living life oblivious to the unfairness of the world of sin. Thus, the shinigami has to punish them. A punishment called 'death'!"  
"You sick twisted bastard!"  
"Ah ah! Don't you care about your feline friend?"  
" Wait... what have you done with Azul!?"  
"So that's... the cat's name... She's just having fun in her little cage."

I cringed at his words, it felt like something have stabbed me on my back really hard. "You bastard... if anything happens to her I'll shred your body up into tiny little pieces until they can no longer be seen!" as I said this, the wind started to blow even more by the minute. Lucy was the first to respond in disgust, "Your rights will never be returned if you do that! Besides, you're the bad one to begin with... how disgusting!"

"We've come this far, it's not the 'right' that we seek but 'authority," the shinigami explains. "With it, we can wipe out the past and control the future." That did it, I could no longer hold back any more. I charged up to him with a fist full of wind and cried out, "Not only have you threatened to kill these people... but you also have Azul locked up in a cage!" But before I could even get close to the guy, a shadow hand popped out at my left side and hit me away from Erigor.

Sliding away from the area, I ended up crashing into a nearby wall. "Avery!" I hear my friends shout, accompanied by the laughter of the Eisenwald guild. "What a pity," the same guy from before appeared, "for you little flies." Flies... that guy really thinks of us that low!? Oh he's so dead! Before any of us could do anything, he decided to make his first attack on both Lucy and Natsu. I lunged towards them, but I was too far to even get close when out of nowhere, Natsu shot up and attacks the shadow with his fire fist. "I knew it was you!" Natsu yells, finally recovering from his motion sickness.

We all gathered up together as Lucy announces, "This is Fairy Tail's strongest team ever, prepare yourself!"

-Normal-

Lucy was right, except for the fact she's not really part of it (me &amp; Av: Sorry Lucy!), with Fairy Tail's strongest wizards joined together, there was a huge chance for them to win against a whole dark guild. The atmosphere suddenly changed around everyone, but only the shinigami was unaffected by the events below. "I'll leave the rest to you guys," a sudden swirl of wind starts to surround Erigor's body, "so make sure they feel Eisenwald's power." The dark mage escapes by crashing through the large window that was behind his, but not everyone could let this slide. "Come back here you stupid excuse of a wind mage!" with that said, Avery takes off in a blast of sudden wind.

"Avery wait! Let's think rationally here!" Erza's efforts in stopping her failed. Once Avery was completely gone, the armored mage turns to Natsu and gray. She orders the two, "Go assist Avery in catching Erigor! And make sure to calm her down in the process!" The two mages were quiet. "If you work together there's a better chance in capturing Erigor!" once again in utter shock, they stayed quiet and stared at one another. After a long explanation of the plan, both boys had finally reacted to Erza's order's. "Say what!?" they both shout in unison. "I'm not gonna stop that psycho path!" one blurts out while the other shouts, "I'm gonna lose my head again if I face her!

Erza gives them a dark look and had immediately taken off after from the intense gaze. Lucy was lost at this order, but at the same time scared when the fact of facing the rest of the enemies. "I hope Avery will stay calm..." Happy mutters nervously as he looks back at the hole. "Why? Isn't it normal to be mad?" "Actually," the cat starts, "the last time Avery was that mad was about 5 years back. Natsu stole her precious ice cream... the guild was almost destroyed." Lucy's wild imagination started to run through her head. Avery in her furious rage scared her far more than her thought of Erza. A sudden blast was heard from the outside, along with roars of hate, "Come out you bastard and face me like the man you are!"

-Back to Me-

I was successful in following Erigor, but there was one problem now. In his ball of wind trapped the one thing that I had been looking for. "Erigor! Give back Azul you bloody bitch!" I roar as I launched myself towards the Shinigami. Wind gathered around my fist and gotten bigger as I got closer to Erigor. But right when I was near his face, a sudden blow hit every part of my body. My body was pushed downwards to the stations roof. "Gah!" I screamed in pain as my body collided with the wood.

I felt pain throughout my whole body, it shot through every nerve in my body. I sat up from the rubble and looked back up at Erigor. "Is this the best the 'grand typhoon' can do? I can hardly believe you are as powerful as they say you are," mocking my magic wasn't the best call. Wind started to blown as we both glare/stare at one another. My magic was running low so I had no other choice but to, "Show why I'm called a typhoon. " Raising my hand up, I summoned up all of my magic onto the palm of my hand and gathered a large amount of wind.

"So you're going to use your best magic spell with every last ounce of magic you got-" but I stopped him midway by yelling, "Don't you dare underestimate a dragon you shinigami!" Taken aback by my sudden claim, Erigor then realizes what he was up against. I open my mouth and sucked in my own wind, more like eating it though. "You're much more powerful than I thought...! I never thought dragon slayers were like this!" he exclaims, sweat rolling down his cheek as Erigor stared with a horrific look.

When I finished up me 'meal', I breathe in and mocked Erigor back, "Thanks for the meal... I would have eaten your's Erigor, but I know it would've taste like crap." He grits his teeth. Both of us knew who was going to win if this keeps up and how long it would last, but what I didn't know was that he had a trick up his sleeve. "Furyu no Yokugeki!" a magic circle appears at both of my fists, and with it sudden gusts of wind. I aimed it at Erigor and the slicing wind went towards him, like millions of scissors slicing in the air continuosly, and continues until it reaches it's target.

But when I thought I got him- "Ahahaha! So that's you true nature!" echoes of the shinigami's laugh rang through my ears like loud speakers. I covered my ears as the sound got louder. A tornado suddenly bursts around me. I looked all around the gray evil winds, looking for a way out. "It's a good thing I learned this spell from her... Sealing magic!" Before I had time to react, a giant magic circle glows in front of me. Everything went white for a while...

-Natsu-

"I think you'll be wanting this back," and out of nowhere a cage of wind appears beside him and poofs away, revealing to be Azul. "Azul!?" we all cried out in shock. Erigor tosses Azul away only for Lucy to catch her. "Azul! Are you okay?" she asks and goes down on her knees to carefully place the injured cat on her lap. Not responding to her words, I watch as Erza runs up to check on Azul. A sigh of relief escapes her lips, "She's fine... She just passed out." "Thank god..." tears formed in Lucy's eyes.

For some reason I could smell Av all around us. "Hey air head! Where's Av!?" I demand. Lucy yells at me in shock, "Don't go around insulting the enemy!" Erigor chuckles at first before bursting out into a laughing fight, which enraged me seeing he knew something that I don't. "Haven't you realized it Salamander? She's right here!" he raises his hands up in the air and summons a large ball of wind above his head. Av's scent was even stronger than earlier and it didn't take me long to realise where she is.

"Av!" I cried out as I launched myself towards the ball of wind. It hurt at first but the moment I saw a figure through the dark harsh winds, I instantly grabbed it and jumped out. "Avery-san!?" yelps Lucy as I land onto the ground. Av laid limp in my arms, her body covered in cuts and bruises. "Now way... Av actually lost..?" Happy asks in a state if loss. "You'll pay for this! Ice make: Cannon!" Gray shoots at Erigor in retaliation for what's happened. Instead of hitting Erigor, he only hit the wall behind Erigor as he disappears and reappers in a different spot.

Slowly, Azul wakes up. "Huh...? Where am I...?" Her eyes widen in horror at the sight of her friend in pain. Azul's face turns dark and in a flash lunges at Erigor. She didn't stand a chance against him. One moment she was flying at the bastard with her claws out and then, without even trying, manages to knock Azul a few feet away. "Azul! Bastard! What did you do to Av!?" I yell, holding Av closer to me. "Itte...!" Av winces in pain. Erza stares at Av worriedly for a moment then her faces darkens, "Erigor... you've gone too far this time... How dare you poison Avery!"

I felt something snap inside me. My body lit on fire as my anger started to blaze up. Gray grabs my shoulder and roughly pulls me to stop, "Quit it you idiot! You'll make things worse!" Avery coughs really hard, causing us to go quiet. "Till we meet again," and that's when Erigor makes his escape and creates a giant wind wall all around the station.

-Back to Me-

...The next thing I knew I ended up inside the train station again, but I ended up on more than what I bargained for. "Natsu!" I gasp in surprise when I saw the pink headed dragon slayer underneath me. He just smirks at me and taunts teezingly, "You should be more careful than to fall for someone like me." I blush instantly and punched him in the face as I squealed, "W-Why would I fall for someone like you!?" After I got off from Natsu, I noticed a dark wind wall nearby. "Erigor trapped us inside the station after he knocked you out," Lucy informs, nervously staring at the wall blocking our way.

Erza, worried at my current state, asks me unsure, "I know this is too much to ask of you... but do you think you can do it Avery?" I smirk and give her a thumbs up, "You can count on me! This'll be a piece of cake!" A weak laugh was heard behind our back, it was that Shadow bastard from before.

That reminded my sudden defeat by the shinigami, again. "Er! I'll get him for what he-" just when I was about to punch the wall, my spell rebounded on me as soon as I summoned my magic. My body flung to a random direction and ended up against another wall. "Avery! Are you alright!?" a cry of worry screams in my direction. I sat up and groaned from the harsh impact, rubbing my poor head with my hand. "Yeah... but what the hell happened there?" I wondered out load as I stared down at both of my hands.

Once again, I got up, ready for another round with the magic wall. "How about this!?" I inhaled the wind and started to eat it, but something was off about it. Erza gasps in surprise and shouts, "Avery, the wind is poisoned! Stop eating it!" Too late, I had taken enough wind inside me to trigger the deadly poison. "Gah!" Pain had instantly coursed throughout my entire body. Voices rang in my ears, but I became deaf from all my cries. This was the second damn time that stupid shinigami got me! If I keep falling for his stupid tricks... then I'll never hear his endless laugh! A strong pair of arms wrapped around me, it was Gray. "G-Gray...?" I mutter weakly.

The poison was really strong, it made my legs were already weak from the sudden intake. "Why would you try to take in that wind any way!? Unless you're a-" Lucy was interrupted when Natsu and Happy cheered, "She's a Dragon Slayer!" "Eh!?" the stellar mage gasps in surprise. I couldn't blame her. I only told her that I used wind magic, but not specifically meaning that I was a dragon slayer. "I'm surprised that you can do that Avery... but doesn't that mean you can use two types of magic?" Lucy asks curiously as she got closer to me. Everyone, except Erza, stares at her with a blank look. They suddenly scream in surprise, "That's right!"

"You only realized now!?" Lucy and I scream at the same time. But I ended up having a coughing fit because of that. "Don't push yourself Avery, you'll end up being a burden to us," Erza warns, which was suppose to be her way of showing her concern. I sweat drop at this and complied, "Yes m'am." "Now we have to figure out how to get out of here..." All of us stared at the wall of wind that blocked our path. I was too weak to do anything, and now my feline partners is in the grasp of the enemy at this very moment. 'I'm so pathetic...' I thought to myself, 'I can't believe I was so gullible enough to not even see through Erigor's trap...'

"Hang on Av! I'll get us out of here!" I hear Natsu shout along with charging feet stomping on the ground. We all watched as Natsu charges towards the wall with a fist full of fire and tried to blow away the barricade, but ends up hitting himself as soon as his fist touches the wind. "AAAAAGGGHHH!" Natsu flew and was spinning in the air continuously, until when he ends up crashing into the wall to our side. Poor guy, but he did deserve it.

"There's gotta be a way to- agh!" Pain coursed through my body once more. "Stop moving around Avery! If this keeps up, you'll end up dead before we get you to a hospital!" Gray warns me as he tries to keep me still. Natsu gets up and wips the blood from his mouth, "Damn it! We're stuck in here like trapped bugs and our only hope in getting out!" All of us were lost on what to do next. " "Ah! I got it! That big scary maid!?" Happy suggests. I sigh at this and correct him, "I think you mean Virgo." "You've met Virgo before?" Lucy asks. I sat up slowly and nodded. "I met her two years back during my missio..." Everything went black.

-Natsu-

"Av...? Av wake up!" I cry out. Right when I took out Avery from Gray's arms, I tried my best to wake her up. "Natsu stop it! We can now get her to a hospital by using Virgo!" Lucy places her hand on my shoulder in reassureance. I didn't bother looking up anymore. Avery was weak now and I can't do anything for her. "Alright, but I'm gonna get Erigor for this!"

Ending: MAD Fairy Tail Ending HD - made by ALL Anime -MAD-Op-ED-AWV

**To Be Continued**

**I'm cringing right now at how I made the first chapter... I missed out one thing, ONE thing that I entirely forgot and that was when Natsu saw the Lullaby flute! DX I'll try to fix it but I just don't know how I'm going to fit it after the many screw up I made on that chapter... THEE very first chapter of Winds of Hope! Anyway, sorry for the extremely long wait! My head has been stuck in college (which I'm failing miserably at the moment), been sent to the hospital multiple times (thanks to this god damn horrible cough that's keeping me from breathing!), and don't even get me started at the recent chapters of the Fairy Tail manga! WTF!? Seriously!? And if there are those out there who haven't been updated on the manga, you'll be really pissed if you find out later in the anime cause the tartarus arc has really pissed me off beyond satan! *Cough* *cough* God I yelled too much there... Trust me I did that when I saw Lucy died and I wasn't prepared for it.**

**Me: Today Haru here has an important announcement! *elbows him* Get on with it!  
Haru: Fine fine! I now have an account here in fanfiction...  
Ne: Finally...  
Haru: *glares* And I go by a slightly new name now after thinking for a while. My name here is Haru Kazeyuki! Don't believe me? Just look up my name just to check.  
Me: Dont'! You'll be pissed at what you learn about him! I sure am!  
Haru: You always told me before to be honest!  
Me: Yeah, but not like that!  
*as the two continued to argue*  
Av: Ano... should we stop them?  
Az(ul): They'll be fine. I hope... Ah! The camera's still rolling!  
Av: Huh? Oh! Tadaima minna! While our two authors are talking about what to do on the next chapter we'll be doing the usual trivia question today!  
Az: Let me do the draw this time! *digs in the back* Let's see... oh! Oh...! *blushes*  
Av: What? What is it?  
Az: Nothing! *eats the question*  
Av: Are you serious- Alright I'm drawing the question! *takes a random paper out* How many times has Gray stripped in the series since his first appearance? That counts how many times he's been seen walking around shirtless.  
Az: That's a hard one... what's your estimate?  
Av: Seeing as how humans are all born naked and we all take a bath... 17,000,000,000 times is my guess.  
Az: Ah I see- chotto! That's a big number for you to guess!  
Av: Eh? Is it? Jah should we finish this off properly?  
Az: Right! AveryScarlet (and slightly that haru guy) do not own Fairy Tail. All rights belong to Hero Mashpotatoe-  
Av: Pffft!  
Az: Eh? Nani? Doushite?  
Av: N-Nothing... Ahem... she only own's me, Azul here, and many more Oc's to come in the near future.  
*starts to read lines*  
Az: Ah what now!? Avery is sick with a deadly poison...! How did Erigor even learn such a trick like that... Wait- what is that thing!? The Lullaby!? No way! It's too big for anyone to blow on!  
Av&amp;Az: Next time on Winds of hope! The Storm's Retaliation!  
Az: Thank you all for all the support and patience for this chapter.  
Av: Also, please make a suggestion whether AveryScarlet should let us chant out spells in japanese or in english for you all to understand! She really had a hard time earlier on our liens for that part...  
Av&amp;Az: Bye bye!**


	4. Chapter 3

_~Natsu's Intro~_

_'Don't give up,_

_the beginning is the hardest,_

_so let's keep going till the end!'_

* * *

_**~Chapter 3 - Final Fight and Lullaby~**_

-Lucy-

"I'm gonna make that bastard pay! C'mon Happy!"  
"Aye sir!"

The moment we were able to get past the wind wal with Virgo's help, Natsu and Happy immediately flew after Erigor before any of us could do anything to stop him from doing anything else reckless. "Natsu wait!" I cried out but all of us knew it was impossible to stop him now. Beneath me, Avery groans and slightly opens her eyes just a bit to see Natsu's back as he flew off further from the station. "Na...tsu..." she too tries to call out to Natsu but she was too weak to do anything else. "Hold on Avery...! We'll get you help!" I told her as I tried to carefully sit her up.

"That idiot... once we catch up to those two they will surely be punished," Erza states darkly. "How about we think about that stuff later!?" I squeel in terror at how scary Erza was acting. "Hime," Virgo spoke up, "if you like I would be glad enough to help cure Miss Avery of her poison." "Really!? You can do that!?" Gray asks all hyped up to know that Avery will be okay. She nods and bents down to our level, "I have a debt to repay her for. I think this is the perfect to time to fulfill my life debt. Though I cannot reassure you all that she will be completely cured form the poison, she'll need to receive proper medical treatment for that."

"Oh right... a spirits debt to someone can last a life time in human years..." I mutter at the reminder of that important thing about spirits. I don't know how these two met, but to have a celestial spirit such as Virgo is an honor, not many can receive something as important as a life long debt from a spirit. I look down at Avery, who was trying her best to stay awake, weakly smiles up at me as I tried me best to smile back at her without crying.

-Me-

My body ached all over. Not to mention feeling sick all over. I couldn't tell whether I should stay put or move, cause feeling things like pain and my stupid motion sickness makes me feel like a bigger weakling than I am around now. "Avery! Thank goodness you're awake," Lucy sighs in relief. I look around and asked, "And Azul...?" "Virgo was able to take care of her while you were still out," I smile when Gray mentions the Spirit's name. Lucy continued to explain, "She said it was to repay her life debt to her. I was a little surprised at first to know you and her already met, but it was more surprising to know she owes you."

I smile at her, "Well let's just say her owner before that Everlue person gave her the kind of punishments she wasn't asking for. I just did my job and I wounded up having a celestial spirit owe me. But I should feel grateful for what she did..." In all honesty, I was a little upset she did that. I'm grateful though really but to think my own weakness has caused everyone so much trouble just because I couldn't fulfill one simple task, taking Erigor out.

"Avery? What is it?" I didn't realize I was spacing out until I felt Lucy's hand on my shoulder. "Huh? Oh it's nothing... can I see Azul?" I request. She obliges and moves a bit to pick up the passed out cat from the other side of her, carefully making sure not to wake the cat up as Azul soundlessly sleeps even after being picked up. "Azul... thank goodness you're okay..." I picked her up in my arms and hugged Azul close to my chest. Then I noticed something, "Where's Natsu?" They both tense and glance at one another with worried looks, unsure whether to tell me or not.

"Guys... Where's Natsu!?" I demand, slightly raising my voice up. "After Kageyama was struck down by his own guild mate and Virgo helped us get past the wind wall, Natsu and Happy flew after Erigor," Gray explains to me. "Kageyama?" they both point and I followed their gaze beside where Gray was. The moment my eyes laid on the person, my face darkens when I see the beaten up shadow bastard. I put Azul on the seat beside me and prepared to attack him on the spot without any hint of hesitation.

"Avery stop! He's our prisoner! There's no need to attack him anymore! Besides he's already injured enough as it is!" cries out Lucy as they both lunge at kept me from laying a finger on the dark mage. "Tch!" I lowered my fists in defeat, allowing the two to finally let go of me. Kageyama glares at me, "Don't get the wrong idea Typhoon, getting treatment from the likes of these flies is not what I wanted in the first place." I prepared to punch him again when Lucy and Gray find their way to my sides and grab my hands in order to prevent me on taking any actions on the dark mage.

"Say that again you ungrateful bastard! I'll be glad enough to personally kick you off this ride!" I exclaim as I struggled to get out of the two's grip on my. I know I'm weak at the moment after being cured of my poison, but this is downright ridiculous! Happy isn't even strong at all to begin with! "Avery don't do it! We're still inside the vehicle!" Gray panics as he wraps his arms around mine with Lucy on the other.

"Avery please stop! Besides..." she leans in and whispers into my ear, "what Gray said about him being betrayed by his own guild is true... and he was literally back stabbed by them... I know you can't stand being near anyone in cohorts with dark guilds like Eisenwald... but you have to hold back till we finish off Erigor..." I stared at Kageyama sternly as he looked away from my gaze. I let out a small gasp when a small bit of an old memory emerged in my head.

::FlashBack::

_I step back in fear as the children around me started to laugh evilly at my weak state. __"Please stop! I beg of you! I never did anything wrong to you! I thought we were friends...!" I whimper in fear and put a fist close to my chest. A hand forcibly lifts my chin up so I could stare straight into ****'s dark gaze. ** mocks me, "Friends? You think we were friends? You should know by now you are just a monster who can never have friends!" My chest started to ache as they all continued to send blows and kicks on every part of my body as__I hugged myself._

_I thought they were my friends. In the end they just back stabbed me in the end after knowing as a dragon slayer, why? Why did I desereve this?_

::End of FlashBack::

Pity filled up inside me so I decided to let it go just this once. I look at the two and gave them a look that said' I'm okay now' and placed a hand over Lucy's hand for reassurance allowing them to let go of me."That fire moron can't do anything now..! Not when he's up against Erigor," he blurts out. I was about to sit down but then I instantly changed my mind and grabbed onto Kageyama's front shirt, pulling really close to my face so he could stare straight into my eyes. "If anything happens to my Natsu and Happy I'll make sure you and your stupid guild won't see the light of day..." I threaten.

"You don't scare me Typhoon... I already know what kind of person you are," he smirks at me. I prepared to hit him with a fist full of wind, but when I raised my fist in the air nothing happened. Confused, I tried to focus my energy on my fist again except the only reaction I got was a tiny bit of wind moving around my fist before disappearing. I loosen my grip on the bastard and stared down at my free hand in confusion. "What's going on?" I ask out loud. "Heh... so Erigor was serious... I never thought he would truly clip the wings of a dragon," he stares back at me evilly as a large grin crosses his face.

I was confused at first then I remembered what happened back at the station before I was sent down below. "Sealing magic... no wonder why I'm not that sick," I let go of his and plopped myself on the seat at a loss of what Erigor has done to me. It was Gray's turn to grab Kageyama's shirt, "What did he do to Avery!? Tell me or else!" "Weren't you the one who said not to hurt him!?" Lucy screams and immediately tries to pulls Gray away. Silently, I look down at Azul who was still resting after all the torture she had to go through. I grit my teeth and stood up much to their surprise.

"I'm going after them," I announce then open the doors beside me. "Alright... wait you're gonna what!?" Lucy exclaims as I start to make my way out of the moving vehicle. I felt someone grab my wrist and forcibly pull me back to stop me from leaving. "Don't be stupid Av! You've done enough already! Why risk your life on the line just for us!?" it was Gray. I knew none of them would take this lightly, so I placed a hand on his cheek and leaned up to kiss him on his forehead. I pull back and flash my usual grin as reassurance, "Don't worry! It's not like this is the first time I've risked my neck! Besides you know me better than that Gray! I don't die easily! I have a hard head!"

I lightly bonk my head to show him. When I saw that he was dazed at my actions, I bolted towards the exit and prepared myself for the upcoming jump. I look over my shoulder and held up a thumbs up at them after putting my goggles on. "I'll make sure to get there quickly! Keep an eye on the Shadow freak there! And make sure to take care of Azul while I'm gone! Ja ne!" I salute them and jumped out without a second thought. "Av!" I could hear their cries getting farther as I continued to dive downwards into the valley below. I shut my eyes praying, 'Please let me be right! PLEASE LET ME BE RIGHT!'

I focused all that I had inside me to my legs, hoping that my magic wasn't entirely sealed by Erigor. I know for a fact no matter how much magic you seal away there's always either a flaw in the spell or ounces of it was leaking out bit by bit. Nothing can be sealed completely. Especially if it's done by a sloppy caster such as that wind fart, Eribor, (me: Not a misspell okay!? And she didn't mispronounce it like she used to as a kid! It's an insult! XD) he has no control at all in his attacks. I shut my eyes for a moment as I continued to free fall down to earth.

When I started to feel a familiar sensation throb in my body, I open my eyes instantly and right at the exact moment my face was about to collide on the rocky earth below, I found myself bolting upwards back in the air. "Hahahah! I knew that bastard was sloppy! He may have sealed away my dragon slayer magic... but I still I have wind magic in me! I just hope I still remember the spells..." I said with a nervous look on the last part of my sentence. I can't remember every spell! Only a person with photographic memory can memorize all of those, it just so happens almost every single human being on earth has it.

me: It is something to question about... how can you remember every single spell in a certain type of magic?  
Av: See! My point exactly! What if you had to memorize hundreds- no, thousands of spells just for one type!  
me :Uh... *sweat drops* How about we bring that up as one of the trivia questions...?  
Av: Sou ka...! Readers are always smarter than the author!  
Me: That's just rude! And you're suppose to say readers pay more attention to certain details than authors!

I tried to sniff the air for Natsu or at least Happy but the only scent I got was the smelly wind mage. I plug my nose saying, "Ew...! His scent is everywhere! I can't find them like this! My nose will die by the time I find them!" I know I was exaggerating before just to pissed him off but now that I'm out here in the open where his wind can mix in, I can literally smell the guy all over the place no matter how hard I try to ignore it. "I better follow this track and-" I was interrupted when I saw a huge explosion up in the distance. "And follow the path of destruction left by Natsu."

-Natsu-

I slid backwards after I, once again, failed to break through that wind bastards storm mail. Every time I hit it, all I'm doing is bouncing off the thing with every hit. And it's pissing me off! I lunge at his again with a firey fist and yelled, "Let me in there so I can hit you!" Happy sweat drops saying, "I don't think he would have that on if he wanted to get hit Natsu..." "Shut up Happy! After what he did to Av-" images of Av writhing in pain flashed into my mind, "he has to pay with his life!" I jumped at him against but this time his wind picked up and sent me flying right behind Happy was standing.

"Natsu!" he cries out in shock. "What's wrong little fly? Getting tired already? Well that's fine... I'll make sure you and Typhoon will meet again in the next life!" Erigor mocks me as I tried to stand up on my two feet without flying away again. He extends a finger as a purple magic circle appears, crying out, "Emera Barum!"

I didn't have enough time to react when I saw the spell slicing right at me. I prepared myself to block it until another set of wind counter acts it from a different direction, saving me and Happy at the exact perfect moment it was about to hit us. "Oh yeah? Then how 'bout you tell us the part where we're gonna kick your sorry ass!" I hear a cry through the large cloud of dust and wind. A large wave of wind explodes all of a sudden, clearing my view perfectly to see Erigor still standing in place with that damn storm mail still up but was using his arm to block something.

Or someone. I immediately smiled when I realized who's scent it belongs to. "Av!" I cry out in joy. She was perfectly fine, like as if nothing with the poison stuff had happened to her in the first place Taken by surprise, Erigor asks Av with a dumbstruck face, "How are you still alive...? You should've been long dead by now! There's no way one can recover after taking in that much poison! _She_ told me your weaknesses! Taught me that spell in order to keep you out of the way!"

She smirks as she pushes in further with her fist, "Too bad Eribor... Let's just say I have many friends in different places. You almost did it perfectly, but you forgot the reason why I'm called the Typhoon you farting bastard!" Av upper kicks Erigor out of nowhere and sends another kick at him after he backs away a bit from the sudden attack. It wasn't enough to take him down, but I could see she was able to hurt him on the inside. "Go Avery~!" Happy cheers and starts jumping in the air.

She looks at me and flashes a huge grin at me which I couldn't help but return as well. "What took you so long Av? I was starting to think I'd have to beat the crap out of this guy by myself!" I smile as she floats down to my side.

-Back to Me-

The smile I had went away as soon as I got a closer look at Natsu, almost every part of his body was covered in cuts and bruises. I reached up to touch his cheek and almost cried when he winces in pain at my touch. Natsu see's this and panics, "Ah! I'm fine Av! See? Just a few cuts that's all!" This is all my fault, I should have known better than to underestimate my enemies like that, but because I thought I could take down Erigor on the spot I never realized that he would be preparedfor our fight.

"Sorry Natsu... I let Erigor get the best of me... but this time," I pulled my goggles on, "we'll defeat him! Let's fight together for old times sake!" Natsu was surprised at first but them grins with a look of excitement flickering in his eyes. It's been 3 years since we last partnered up, and it's been three years since we last combined our magic together in a situation like this. The last time we did we ended up destroying half a city and we were forbidden by master since, but he didn't say we can't still work together if it's related to taking down a dark guild such as Eisenwald. So who knows what we can do now!

"Let's go Natsu!" I cry out and charge towards Erigor. Natsu smirks at this and lights up, running after me, "Yeah!" I may not be able to use my dragon slayer magic, I may be a liability now because of that, but all that training the past three years are not gonna fail me not when my friends need me the most. "Black Tornado!" I swipe a hand up in his direction as a dark grey magic circle appeared in front of me, creating a dark tornado flying in his direction.

Natsu lept in right at the exact moment he spots the opening of the tornado. "Jumping in something like that... that's inhuman!" Erigor tries to dodge it, but with my spell as Natsu's shield and helps disperse enough wind from the enemies body he was finally able to hit him without flying back. Natsu jumps back as I flew up in the air with another spell ready, "Spiral storm!"

-Normal-

Happy watches in awe as the two take turns on hitting Erigor one attack after another. He hasn't seen great team work such as their's since Avery and Azul left, those three years seemed to have paid off just by watching how Avery is still able to over power Erigor even in the kind if condition she's in. "Black tornado!" Natsu charges in again, "Karyu no tekken!" It didn't do much, tearing through the wind for Natsu by Avery can't last forever she too has her limits with only Storm magic as her only means of attack.

And unless he finally breaks the storm mail fast, this is all she can do for now. Erigor blocks Natsu this time making both smirk at this action, he just gave away that his spell was failing. "Alright! We can do this Av! Av...?" Natsu turns around in confusion at Avery's silence. His eyes widen when he see's her on her knee's, breathing heavily as she tries to get back on her feet to continue. The poison may have been removed from her body, but all of her strength was drained in the process. Avery notices Natsu staring at her and tries her best to smile up at him reassuringly and show that she can still fight.

Happy runs up to her, since he still can't fly, and looks up at her worriedly. "Avery, you have to stop! You'll hurt yourself!" Avery raises a hand at Happy but keeps her eyes on Erigor, "I'm fine Happy...! Just stay back! You focus of getting your strength back. I'll be Natsu's support for now!" The sight if how bad she was made Natsu's blood boil, he told himself that she was hiding something from him and yet again she's been hiding her pain from him again.

"Hahahahaha! It looks like her advice has trully helped me today! And now that one dragon is down I can take her out while she's still down!" This set Natsu off blazing even more than before. "Don't you dare touch her! You lay another finger on her... and I'll burn you to a crisp!" Natsu roars as his whole body bursts on fire, blinding everyone as the fire continued to grow.

-Back to me-

I shield Happy as Natsu suddenly sets himself on fire. I crack open on eye and gasp, his rage was emitting all the way to were I was and it felt... thrilling just watching him at this distance. "Take this!" I watch as Natsu jumps in tbe air with two blazed fists and tries to hit Erigor by himself. "Natsu!" I gasp as I watch him fly backwards then land on his feet. "Heh! You're a stubborn brat I'll give you that! But without typhoon you'll never be able to break through my storm mail!" taunts Erigor as he watches in amusement at Natsu's futile attempts to hit him. I grit my teeth, 'He's right...! Natsu won't be able to take on a dark mage at his level...! He'll just get hurt if he keeps this up! Damn it...! Do something Av..!"

"Damn it! Why can't I get near him?! It makes no sense!" Natsu grabs onto the train track and starts to pull it up in rage, his fire getting even more intense as he tries to pull it out. I then see all of the wind being pulled towards Natsu, I can tell even Erigor notice this as he glares at my friend in fear. "Erigor's wind is flying in a weird direction..." Happy mutters. I nod and explain, "Fire is that powerful once it's flames heat up at a greater intesity. Wind will be drawn towards it. That's why there are times I almost lost to Natsu because of that anger of his."

"I see! If his anger builds up so does his flames..." Happy gaps and stares at what was happening in awe. Erigor shields himself from the sudden heat wave, "My winds... their being sucked in! Flames of emotion... this power almost feels like Typhoon's... it can't be...!" Happy suddenly pulls me down to his level and whispers into my ear, "Let's make him mad... you know how he's like when he gets mad... especially when it comes to you..." I felt heat rush through my cheeks. "F-Fine! But next time fix your words Happy!" I cross my arms and pout as Happy tries to stiffle his laugh. "Aye sir!" We both look at each other sternly and nod in agreement, took a deep breathe then- "Hey Natsu!" we both call out causing him to look at us angrily.

I gulp nervously and thought, 'Sorry Natsu... I don't want to do this but... I must if we want to defeat the wind farter!' "It's no use! We should let Gray handle it!" Happy blurts out with a poker face look. I almost burst out laughing at this- not only at how Happy was able to say it without hesitation, but the reaction on Natsu's face when Gray was mentioned. "What did you say Happy...?!" Natsu growls and bursts into flames. 'He said it! I can't believe he said it!' I tried to keep my mask on and shrug in fake agreement, "He's right Natsu! You have no chance at all! Without either of us, you are absolutely no match for Erigor."

"What the hell did you say!?" I shield myself as I felt the heat radiating off of him increase even more at my harsh words. We watch as a pillar of fire shoots up into the sky, sucking in all of Erigor's wind all at once much to the old man's surprise. I smirk at Erigor's sudden realization. He may know I'm a dragon slayer thanks to our previous encounter in the past, but then he hasn't met Natsu in person, Fairy Tail's Salamander! Natsu launches himself at Erigor and goes head first into his gut, grabs him, then attacks him- "Karyu no kenkaku!" Happy and I cheer as Erigor is sent up in the air after receiving a fatal blow in the face.

"Natsu... it's so beautiful..." my eyes soften and I felt the corner of my lips lift ip as I felt adrenaline rush through me. "Eh...? Avery your body," Happy points out and jumps out of my arms. I look down at my hands to see dark grey winds swirling around them, and they weren't just regular winds, but a dragons. I smirk at this, "I'm back...!" I didn't have a chance to rejoice at this as Natsu suddenly charges at us, grabs my shoulders all of a sudden, and starts shaking me around. "What was that you said about Gray!? Spit it out! I didn't hear you loud enough!" he demands, still pissed out at our sudden_ betrayal. _

I sat there dumbstruck at this. "Pfft!" I brought a hand to my face as I tried not to laugh. "It's not funny!" Natsu yells angrily when he saw this. I brought a hand to his face and brought his face close to mine, kissing him right on the cheek. I pull away and smile at him, saying "Hai hai! Good job Natsu!" He blushes at this, turns away to avoid looking at me. "Hehehe...! You liiiiiiike her~!" Happy teases, only to get choked by Natsu in return. I felt a sudden shiver run down my spine and looked over Natsu's shoulder to see the Lullaby lying on the ground, it's three eyes glowing in a strange purple color.

'Is that the Lullaby...? I'll collect that thing later from it when we get back,' I thought at the back of my mind. "Natsu! Avery-san!" We look over to see Lucy sticking head head out of the four wheeler and waving at us as. "Ah! You guys late! It's already over," Natsu stands up and let's me go much to my disappointment. "Aye!" "As expected," Erza comments and slowly stops the four wheeler. "Tch!" Gray, as always, looks at Natsu in disapproval. I just lightly smile at this as Natsu tries his best not to hit his rival in the face, not with Erza around. I couldn't help but stare at Natsu as he turns away from me.

'As long as I have my nakama I know everything will be fine... especially with Natsu by my side,' that thought made me slightly blush a little as everyone get's off. Happy see's this and was about to comment on this until I slam a hand over his mouth and growl at him darkly, "Say one word and I'll turn you into fish bait..." "Avery!" I was caught off guard at the sight of orange quickly flying in my direction, causing me to lose balance and fall backwards. "Ow... Azul!?" I sit up in surprise with the cat held up in my hands. "Avery..." she sniffs as tears began to pour down her eyes.

I also felt a small sting in my eyes, tears if my own rolling down my cheeks as I pulled her back into my arms. Relief washes over me as we both cried together. "I was so worried something happened to you... I wanted to go back and tell you but Erigor got me... I'm sorry!" she apologizes and cries even harder. "Stupid...! Don't be sorry! I'm just glad to know my best friend is okay...!" I sniffle as I hugged her even tighter. I look up at Lucy and thanked her, "Thank you so much Lucy!" She waves this off embarrassed, "It was all Virgo! You should be thanking her not me!"

"Virgo is one if your spirits now! So that means you also have my thanks! Hehe!" I flash her a smirk which catches her off guard but gives me a thumbs up in return. "I stand up and run towwards Erza when I see her being helped by Lucy to stand up on her own two feet. "Erza are you okay!? I told you not to push yourself!" I say worriedly as I gave her my best best glare through all my worry. "I'll be alright Avery," she slams her metal hand on my shoulder, "I'm just glad you both are alright. But next time follow orders." I rub my shoulder painfully and nod as I look over to the two.

Gray mocks Natsu as he glared at him, "You actually had trouble with this guy?" "Trouble? It was a cinch! Easy!" Natsu says proudly. Happy comments, It was pretty touch and go there..." "And besides," Gray looks down at Natsu, "you're gonna attract weirdos with your bare chested muffler look." I blush in realization at this, the whole time Natsu has been fighting I didn't notice it until Gray points it out. Natsu gives him a disgusted look, " I don't want to hear that from you." "Hm? Av your face is red again?" Azul blurts out much to my embarrassment. I object the idea on the spot and looked up to avoid her weird stares, "Shut up! I'm just really hot right now is all!"

"Ore~? Is the shirtless men harem too much for you~?" she pushes on even further and eyes me evilly with a hand over her mouth. "As if!" I hear Erza laugh and praise us, "Anyway, splendid work Natsu, Avery. We've protect the guild masters." "Huh? What about the old man?" I tilt my head in confusion at this. "Ack! We forgot to tell you Avery! Erigor planned to use the lullaby to kill al the guild masters," Lucy panics. My face darkens at this sudden news. I slowly march towards Erigor's place, hand Azul over to a frightened Natsu, and immediately landed a fist in the unconscious mans face. "YOU. WILL. GO. TO. HELL!"

At the very last part, I landed the biggest blow in his face as I sat on him and giving him the hardest punches I could give him. I stood up and wiped the sweat off my forehead, turning back to face everyone, like as if nothing happened, who had petrified looks on their faces. Well except Erza, she was the only one to nod at me and give me a thumbs up of approval. "Let's head to the master's meeting," Erza suggests, "we'll send in a report of what's happened and we can meet up with master." "Clover isn't that far! We'll be able to get there in no time!" Azul cheers happily.

I knew what she was thinking, the faster we catch up to the old man the faster we can all go home together. Right before we could do anything else, I suddenly found myself being pushed down by Natsu and Gray as I found myself staring up at our vehicle flying in the air with shadows sticking out of it.

"Kage!"  
"Damn it that's dangerous!"

"I got the lullaby! You let your guard down, flies!" Kageyama laughs with the Lullably in hand, driving off to the exact direction where Clover is. "Bastard... after all this you still- I'm going after him! C'mon Azul!" I declare as I wiggled out of Natsu and Gray's hold on me. Azul was shocked at first but nods in agreement, understanding my intentions and swiftly flies over to me then grabs onto my back to help me fly up in the air. I may have gotten my magic back, there's not enough in me to fly at this point after just recovering from not only the poison, but the seal that was finally removed from my body.

I turn to face the group and order them, "We'll go on ahead and try to slow down Kageyama! You find a way to catch up in the mean time!" "You're going off alone again!? But you just got your magic back! Not to mention recovering from that poison Erigor put on you!" Natsu exclaims. I give them a thumbs up and grin. "I'll make sure to give Kageyama the biggest butt wooping for you guys!" "Wait Avery-san! It's too dangerous to go alone!" Lucy cries out. "I'll be fine! As long as I know you guys got my back," I put my fist close to where my heart is, "I can take on any challenge ahead! Besides he needs someone to open his eyes!"

"I don't think this is a good idea Avery..." Azul comments and looks at me unsure what I was planning to do. I shot her a quick glare which told her how serious I am. I want to redeem myself after being nothing but dead weight to my friends. Azul gaps at me then nods with a look of understanding in her eyes, "I understand. Let's do this!" We were about to fly off when suddenly a cold chain wraps around my ankle, an ice chain. "Eh..? Eh!?" Azul and I screech as we felt ourselves being pulled down to earth by force. "Gray get this off me!" I demand as I start punching the ice chain with a fist full of storm.

Out of no where, Natsu suddenly grabs me and tightens his grip around me when he felt me trying to wiggle my wait out to escape. I was about to call out to Azul and get some help, that is until I saw her hugging Happy to death after 'accidentally' falling on top of him. "Let go Natsu! I said let go!" I cry out, punching Natsu when I was able to get at least my right arm out. "No! I'm not letting you go alone this time!" he yells after recovering from my punch. "Natsu... You have to let me go! If I don't stop Kageyama now who knows what will happen to the master's! I'm giving you guys a chance to catch up!" I tried to reason with him but he just wouldn't let go.

"Idiot!" I turn my head around shocked to hear that from Gray. "You can't just go off alone! We're a team and you should start trusting us for once!" "Gray..." I mutter out loud in shock. Erza gives Lucy a soft look telling her to let her stand on her own, which the girl allowed and watches as Erza stands straight and walks over to me. "Three years may have passed," her iron hand grabs my hand tightly, "but that doesn't mean we haven't gotten stronger just like you have. I know you want to protect everyone... but... putting your life on the line for our sake won't do anyone any good! Allow us to fight with you, Avery."

I was surprised to see how serious everyone, even though this isn't the first time I've run off on them I never really noticed how hard they took it every time I left. "I get it... You can both let go of my now guys," I glance up at Natsu with a look that told him I definitely wasn't leaving. "Sorry I hit you Natsu..." I apologized when I see how swollen cheek was. Stupid reflex. "It's fine! Erza's punches hurt a lot more than yours does!" I couldn't tell if it was a compliment or an insult, either way I just lightly punch him on the shoulder and grinned playfully at him.

"Alright then! Let's- huh...? Why are your faces suddenly split in two?" I ask dizzily as my vision slowly started to spin all around me. And at the worst moment possible, I fainted.

-Lucy-

"Look at what you did now Flame brain! You need to take responsibility!"  
"Me!? It was your fault for chaining her down!"

We were running on the train tracks towards clover, but Natsu and Gray were too busy pointing fingers at one another with Avery in their arms. "Get your hands off her ash breath...!" Gray demands darkly as he grabs the unconscious girl closer to him. "As if ice princess! Besides," Natsu yanks Avery back towards him and smirk, "you did say I have to take responsibility for my actions." I watch them nervously as they pull Avery from side to side while fighting over who would be the one to carry her, praying that she won't wake up any moment now.

"Stop it!" Azul cries out and dives towards them. I pull Avery out of their arms in time before Azul kicks Gray on the side of his head, which caused his head to collide with Natsu's in the process. "Thank god Azul is here... " I sigh in relief as lift Avery up to her feet. "Enough! We need to hurry up to the master's! Lucy, you take care of Avery instead!" an order which I was happy to oblige from Erza.

-Back to Me-

::Dream::

_A figure stood a few distances away from my field of vision; her white hair and light purple dress swaying from side. She smiles at me much to my confusion. I reach out to her but then a sudden gust of wind hits my body and kept pushing against my body until I was sent flying in the air._

::End of Dream::

"Mmmmm..." I struggle to open my eyes as I sat up from my spot, a blurred vision of black and pink appeared at first before my eyes cleared up to reveal Natsu and Gray. When I saw master Bob trying to flirt with the boys again, I knew immediately that we were already in clover and were probably near the meeting place Lucy mentioned to me. They weren't facing me so I crept up behind their back and immediately snaked my arms around their shoulders at the exact moment master Bob was too close for their personally space, causing both to scream in terror at the sudden contact. "Waaaaaahhh!" they both scream.

Everyone looks over and were shocked to see me up on my feet. "Avery!?" they yelp in surprise. I pull away and flash them a smile, "Yo!" "What are you doing up!?" Gray asks me with a look of worry that flashed in his eyes. "Are you alright Av!?" Natsu asks me next, the same amount of concern flashing in his eyes. I scratched the back of my head and said, "I guess my body was just tired after pushing myself too far. Though I do feel a little light headed, it's like someone was tossing me around like a pillow." They both sweat nervously for some odd reason and bit their lips, I knew they did something to me in my sleep I can tell by their bossy language.

Lucy and Azul eye them at this. "Ssssshhhh! Listen," master Goldmine brings a finger to his lips then points down below. We all walk over and I spot Makarov... confronting Kageyama!? I saw the flute in his hands and he was prepared to blow it, but there was a strange scent of nervousness coming off of him. I was about to move towards them to punch the lights out of Kageyama only for Erza to extend an arm at me and shake her head. "Nothing will change," old man spoke up, "" I was almost brought to tears at this. As soon as Kageyama fell to his knee's we were given an okay to intervene, all of us rush to the two in that instant.

"Master!" some of us call out much to old man's shock. "H-How long were you guys there!?" he exclaims in shock at our sudden presence. I leaped towards his and pull the small man in a tight hug. "Jii-san I missed you so much! And that was a great speech! It's been a while since I've heard such wise words from a hermit such as yourself!" "Bwahahahaha! Hermit!" Natsu laughs hysterically at this. Lucy sweat drops at this and questions him, "Do you even know what that means...?" "Not really. Avery and I saw it in a book we were reading together before," Natsu tells the blonde.

"I agree with Avery... I too am happy to hear such words master," Erza nods as she takes old man from my arms and brings him into an iron crushing hug. "You're both going to kill him at this rate!" Azul squeals at this as her eyes bulge out in shock. Our reunion was short lived when a sudden loud thump struck my chest, like as if something was trying to pull me way from reality. Unconsciously I muttered out loud, "Lu...lla...by..." The moment it's name slipped out of my mouth the Lullaby came to life on it's own. "Enough! I'll just rat your souls myself!" a voice erupted from the flute itself, it's three eye holes glowing a purple color.

-Normal-

As the Lullaby rose up in it's demonic form, Avery's eyes began to dull and fell backwards. "Av!" Natsu cries out in surprise, catching the girl in time right when she was about to hit the grassy floor below. "What's wrong with her!?" "Maybe her stomach hurts!" Happy blurts out. "As if!" "No... this has happened before," Azul spoke up. "What do you mean?" Erza asks worriedly, staring down at Avery. "During the final weeks of our mission when we were facing off 1000 monsters, Avery was acting really strange and almost passed out. A large demon came out of nowhere and started attacking us. Avery was barely able to snap out of it."

-Back to Me-

_I felt numb all over, my vision was all white and all I could hear around me were muffled voices trying to call out to me. Thankfully, I could still smell who or what's around me. Natsu was the closest scent that registered through my mind, his warm was also the most obvious thing I can recognize with or without me seeing anyone. "Lalala lala lila~ㇸ5" I heard a small yet faint singing voice echo from all around me. I tried to turn my head in the same direction where the voice was the strongest, but the more I tried the harder it was to feel any movement at all throughout my entire body. "Av...!" there was another voice this time, a male's. "Dare ga...?"_

_"It's no use." I soon found myself staring up at a boy, my head resting on his lap as I felt his hand stroke my hair in a slow motion. He spoke up in a much darker tone, "By the time you wake uo, everyone would have been consumed by me. You can't do anything right. The whole day you've been nothing but a dead weight to all of your so called 'friends'. And you know it. So just sit back and rest like a good little dolly." My eyes felt so heavy, that song he was humming to me felt so familiar and so soothing that I did want to stay. "Av...!" there was that voice again. Wait, that voice-! "Natsu...!" I called out and tried to break free from what was holding me back._

_"Let go... I said let me go!" I raise a fist up with all my might and rammed my fist in the kids face. As he flew back from impact, I stood up and brushed my shoulders as the so called little boy crashes on the ground a few feet away. "You won't stop me from getting it back... I will protect my friends! Now let me out here! LULLABY!" I roar as I charged towards the boy. "Ranry_ū_ no nijū tsume!"_

I was surprised at first to see myself up in the air punching the Lullaby's actual face, as was everyone else who jaw dropped when they saw me attacking the demon without warning. "Avery!" I drew back and look down to see Lucy, Azul, and Happy tearfully waving up at me in joy. "Nante kotta! You shouldn't even be awake!" Lullaby raises his arms and tries to hit me only for Natsu to jump in at the right moment to push me away. "Natsu!" I yell in surprise. "Don't let your guard down Av!" he tells me as he lands on the ground and puts me down. Erza lands beside us, wearing her familiar tenrin ni yoroi (heavens wheel) armor and summons multiple swords around her.

"Avery I know this is too much to ask but we need you to lend us your storm!" she begs as she breathes heavily. It didn't really take much for me to agree. "You don't need to ask Erza?! I already had wind picking up all around. "I've been ready to fight from the start! I'll give you guys all I got!" With a look of approval, we all got in a battle stance and lept in the air at the same time, attacking Lullaby all at once.

"Ranryū no Ranken!"  
"Karyū no tekken!"  
"Dance, my blades!"  
"Ice-make: Lance!"

We attacked it relentlessly to the point where it couldn't makes it's move on us, completely forgetting the surrounding area and ignored the damage we've caused all around us. Gray, though, was able to protect the master's on the other hand when Natsu's flames exploded in front of them much to their amazement. As for me, I left behind dancing wind blades that hit multiple parts of its body. It raises an arm and swing at me, which I was able to dodge away in time. I back flipped in the air so I was hovering over the demon's head, glaring at it as it glares back at me with the same hate in it's eyes.

"Ranryū no yokugeki!" I swung my hands up in the air as large wind storms form, swinging them both to his Lullaby from both sides of it's head. I land on the its head as the Lullaby yells in frustration, "I've had enough of this! Time for you to listen to my music of death!" All of the plants that were the closest to the demon slowly started to wither as it gaps it's mouth open. "Avery get off! You'll die first if you listen to it!" I hear Gray cry out from below. I was about to though there was this strange gut feeling not to. I noticed something off about this, as wind brushes by and I was able to see down below how it easily went through, a hollow sound was heard with it.

I shot a stern look at everyone below and warned, "You guys cover your ears! I don't know if I'm right about this, but you need to cover your ears just incase I'm wrong. I'll test my theory out right here and now!" "Av!" Natsu attempts to fly up and stop me but Azul stops him before he could do anything else. "Matte! Let's trust Avery on this one!" As they all cover their ears just like I wanted them to do, Natsu was reluctant to but he does as he was told and watches me with worried eyes. Lullaby let's a monstrous roar which made me collapse to my ears from the painful intensity.

It hurt so much, I just need to last long enough until- "Eh!?What happened to my beautiful sound!?" it exclaims in confusion as it look around it's body with a horrific look in it's eyes. "Hahahaha! You were so dumb enough let everyone attack you, you didn't even notice all the holes all over your body!" I laugh as I plop myself on its wooden head and pat it's head really hard. "Ow! That hurts you bastard! Stop it!" I lift my head up to see it's large hand coming down at me. I flew away in time before its hand could get me and laugh at it ends up slapping his own head. Natsu and I land in a nearby area next to one another.

We look at one another straight in the eye, like as if we were trying to read each others mind on our next plan of attack on the demon except this time together. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks me with a huge grin on his face. I felt a grin of my own grow on my lips, "Let's do it!" I extend a hand at him as Natsu took my hand and squeezed it firmly. "Don't get all touchy with her Natsu!" we hear Gray, causing the both of us to blush. Natsu spats back, "Shut it you asshole!" One fist blazed with fire and the other had swirling wind, our held hands covered with two mixed elements combining two into one.

"Ranryū/Karyū no... saiga!" we both leap towards the Lullaby together and slashed at him, flying passed it as claw marks were left behind, one side fire and the other just slash marks with traces of wind left behind. We twist around in the air to face its back. "Re-equip!" Erza changes into her black winged armor. "Ice make: saucer!" the ice blade cuts the Lullaby's side and Erza's blades cuts its head. "Furyū/Karyū no hoko!" we bellowed out as Natsu's fire and my storm winds combine together and hit it's back at full force. It stumbles at this but we weren't finished yet. We let go of one another and let out different spells this time.

"Karyū no koen!" I watch as Natsu raises arms up and sends a large ball of golden fire at the Lullaby. I close my eyes to focus all of my power into my palm. I then open my eyes and let out a cry, "Ranryū no boreasu!" As everything explodes the Lullaby, I leapt through much to Natsu's shock and aimed a fist right in it's face after the our spells clears. "Too slow! Ranryū no ranken!" I charged towards the top of Lullaby's head as it removes his hand, my fist surrounded by swirling storm winds the closer I got. My fist came in contact with the wood, drilling down into it much to it's horror.

"No! You won't get it from me! Not like the others!" it roars as it makes futile attempts to swap me off its head. "I will get it back..." flashes of my friends appeared in my head, "for their sake!" I broke through the wood successfully, making a dark purple light shining on me as it let's out a final inhumane cry. I grab what I wanted and jumped off the body as it collapses onto the master's guild hall, disappearing into nothing but dead leaves as the winds passes by. Every guild master cheers behind my back and starts praising the old man. I sigh in relief and out the item in my pocket, aimlessly gazing off at the dead forest while every single plant life grows back to life.

I couldn't help myself from sadly smiling at this. 'Just a little bit more and this will all finally end,' I thought in relief. "Av!" Right before I could react, I was encased in a pair of two arms and found myself suffocating to death. "Hands off droopy eyes! I got here first!" it was Natsu, yelling at the other person hugging me. "In your dreams flame brain! She's not your property anyway, so I can huge her when I want to!" and of course the other one is Gray. No wonder I felt hot and cold all over. "That's enough! Let her go or else I'm pry you off myself!" Erza barks orders at them, both immediately doing at they were told without question.

I suddenly felt myself being pulled by my wrist and my head collides against hard metal. One word: ow. "You did a splendid job Avery..." comments the scarlet haired woman as she smiles down at me proud fully. "Aye! Much better than Natsu and Gray!" Happy agrees happily, ignoring the glares that were shot at him. Azul says with hearts in her eyes, "Anything Happy says I agree!"

-Lucy-

As I watch Avery's soul fly out of her mouth, I stood in place frozen trying to register what I just witnessed. I gasp as it finally dawned on me, "So the stories are true... Fairy Tail's Fire Storm." I couldn't stop smiling, this is my team as well. "You guys were awesome!" I compliment as I ran up to them.

-Back to me-

After I recovered, I was about to smile up at them but my face pales at the sight of what was behind the guild masters' turned backs. "They over did it!" Old man must have seen this too as I watch he pales as well and his soul flies out of his mouth. "Ah! Master!" Lucy yelps. "Hahaha! We sure did a number on this place!" Natsu laughs. I watch in amusement as the guild masters start to yell at us, Erza trying to catch old mans soul, Natsu and Gray just chilling, and Lucy and Happy back away in fear. Everyone ran for it; Erza blushing in embarrassment as she carries old man over her shoulders, Gray just kept a poker face, Happy and Azul flew on the air laughing, and Lucy just runs with them in fear.

"Don't worry guys! I'll get them!" I laugh at Natsu's antics and start running after my friends. "Natsu their after us!" I say as I caught up to the group. 'It's so good to be home...!'

**To Be Continued**

**Wahh! I'm sorry it came out late! DX it was meant to come out earlier two weeks ago but the power went out for an entire week! And after that was exams... TT^TT Gomen!**

**Av: It's so hot...  
****Me: I know that okay! -_-* The AC's out so quit complaining already! You're not the only one  
****Av: Your back up ****generator sucks! It's barely enough to light up the whole studio!  
****Me: Just say your lines already!  
****Av: Fine... Next time on Winds of hope! Travelling through the desert isn't easy but it won't be much of a challenge! We can take on anything! Eh natsu? What's that on youe head? Don't eat that guys! Chapter 4 - Mushroom heads! There's too much mushrooms! **


	5. Chapter 4

_~Av's Intro~_

_'You don't need to do things by_

_yourself to have fun! It's much more_

_fun when you're with your friends_

_laughing your hearts out!'_

* * *

_**~Chapter 4 - Mushroom Heads~**_

-Normal-

"It's hot..." Azul and Happy complain simultaneously. "We get it! It's hot! You both aren't the only ones dying of heat here," Lucy says in annoyance. It's been 9 hours since they ran from the mad guild masters and stepped into the hot blazing desert on foot, tired the moment the suns light hits their faces with so much intensity. Old man passed out right after Avery did, all that stress from yesterday took a toll on him and was carried by Erza for the time being."Complaining won't get us no where," Erza turns to Natsu who was currently carrying a certain passed out orange head. "Natsu, can you wake Avery up? Azul isn't much help on flying up to the sun by the looks if it."

Avery passed out not long ago due to the over exerting herself yesterday, from poisoned, having her magic sealed for a while, and then went all out after recovering from both strained her body a bit. And the reason Natsu is carrying Avery is because he won a game of rock, paper, scissors against Gray a while back. Neither of them would let the other carry her so Erza had enough and made them do it. "Oi Av...! It's time to get up!" Natsu says as he shifts to put her down. "Mm... Two more centuries..." she mutters in her sleeps and snuggles closer to Natsu. He blushes at this while Gray, on the other hand, prepares to freeze his rival when Erza steps in to take care of this instead.

"Wake up already!" she orders with a straight face, punching the top of Avery's head. She jolts her head up screaming in tears, "Itte! What was that for Erza!?" "Uruse!" that simple order made not only Avery tense up, but everyone else at how high she raised her voice at the girl. Avery would usually be the only one to handle Erza's scary demeanor, but seeing her terrifying glare as the first thing to wake up from is the worst thing to ever see, especially when your vision starts to adjust to the light. "Agh! Yes ma'am!" Avery instantly shots up in the air, leaving a large gust of sand behind below with the others. Lucy coughs and looks up in amazement, "Amazing...! Even Avery can get scared of Erza... I always thought she wasn't afraid of anything!"

"Hahaha! Av can only be afraid of things when she wakes up! You're lucky that was just a minor reaction from her," Azul reassures Lucy in the oddest way possible. "Hold on... did Avery even put on her goggles?" Gray asks when he spots them hanging at the back of Natsu's head. The latter takes it off then nervously glances up at the sky as a figure started to fall down from the sky, slowly starting to get closer and closer to revel Avery curled up in fear. "Hold on Av! I gottcha!" Natsu leaps up and grabs the girl just in time as she was about to crash. She whimpers in his arms as they both land to the ground, sand once again flying in the air before settling down to reveal Avery shaking in fear in Natsu's arms. She hugs him closer as she tries to calm herself down.

+Four hours later+

-Me-

I sulk as a large frown stuck to my lips, as both Azul and I flying up in the air directly above the others under the strict orders of Titania, this time with goggles on. I still felt pretty embarrassed for my stupid stunt earlier and let Lucy, a newbie, see my fear of heights. All I wanted to do is leave a good impression to anyone who just joined the guild, not embarrass myself right when I was leaving a good impression for once. I miss out on so much every time I leave. Whenever I go off on missions, newcomers would join the guild, and then when I come back they're already accustomed to the build to the point I can't properly introduce myself anymore. They already know who I am from Natsu and my other friends! "You can't sulk forever Avery..." Azul sighs at my stubborn attitude.

I flail my arms complaining, "Yeah but... I want to make a good impression on the newbies for once! You know what our guild is like!" The only difference with Lucy compared to the other newcomers I've met, she's much more level headed compared to my other friends. Erza is as well! But she can be a bit extreme- okay maybe more than that. "I don't think there's anything out here Azul," I said after finally giving in to the heat, "there's nothing except dirt and lesser monsters out here. We should probably get back to the others and make sure their alright." Azul nods in agreement, "Yeah, they haven't crossed this desert before. Hopefully they aren't starving to death already! This place has the most disgusting things to eat...!"

Azul and I have crossed this desert countless of times during our travels, we know how bad it is to survive out here with no food or water and sleep out here without getting stalked by random monsters. They don't really attack you much. Most of the time they just follow you out of plan curiosity. I think the main problem out here is pretty simple, every single thing out here may look edible to the human eye, but they leave the worst after taste known to man and there's no way a first-timer like my friends can handle it. I gained a high tolerance of the taste while Azul here... lets just say she's still trying to get used to it. There are a few that taste good that I know so far, a few poisonous by only a bit to paralyze someone for a day.

As we flew flew, I called out, "Guys we're back!" We did get back down to the last place we last saw them, but when we got there there was no sign of them.

"Oi! Natsu! Gray! Erza! Lucy! Happy! Jii-san! Where the heck are they? Didn't they say they'd wait for us at this spot? We've only been gone for a few hours."  
"Maybe they went off to find some shade."  
"Nah. They'd be able to stand the heat with Gray around to make some sort of shade out of ice. Besides, Natsu and Happy know better that there's no shade out here in a desert to keep them cool down."

This is bad, if they go any further without our help they might end up in the worst place possible. "Avery look at this!" I bent over and gazed down at what Azul was pointing at. It was their foot prints, and by the looks of it they were following someone, Happy. We slowly followed the direction the trail was going only to end up in the worst possible area which I hope we'd never end up in, and that's clover canyon. "That place is a huge labyrinth, one false move and you'll be stuck in it forever," Azul says worriedly as she looks off in the possible direction our friends went. The desert is much better compared to clover canyon, you won't be as hot unlike this place, but at least you can find something that's edible.

I cross my arms and glared up at the blazing hot sun, "With no wind in the air it'll be easier to track their scents in no time. The main problem is if they'll survive with no food for the next few hours. Most of them probably haven't eaten in a while since we got here, seeing how we've been out here quiet a while since I fell asleep. "Guess I have no choice," I bent down much to Azul's surprise and did the unspeakable, I started sniffing the ground and follow on all fours in the same manner as a dog. Azul flinches and shivers, "I know it's a normal thing for you... but it still creeps me out no matter how many times I watch you do it!" It's not my fault this is my only way of finding them on the spot.

The air is too stiff and hot for me to sniff, so following their scent on any surface their body has touched is the only way I can find them as fast as possible. "Ah! I got it! They're not that far away from here! Follow me!" I say as I bolt off into the direction they went. "Matte yo Avery!" Azul yelps and tries to catch up to me. 'Hold on guys! Just stay where you are!' I thought, flying even faster in fear of what will happen to them if I don't help them sooner.

++Later++

I pant as I came to a stop when I came across the edge of a web valley, one of the last places their scent was at before disappearing from the trail at the worst moment possible. I know that out here there are many things that could cover up their scent, but out of all the times for it to happen it had to be now. "How 'bout we just search for them from the sky? There's no way we can't miss Happy!" Azul suggests with a slightly raised voice. I sweat drop thinking, 'You just want to see Happy again...' It does sound like a good idea, there is about a 90% chance we'll catch them from above rather than on foot. "Alright," I point up at the sky, "you go and look from above. I'll stay down here below to cover more ground."

Azul flies off without another word and squeals out of joy, leaving me behind to face palm at her strange infatuation for Happy. Sometimes I wonder if there are other things on her mind besides that blue cat, she's never taken her eyes off him even the time she was first introduced to the guild. "Natsu! Guys! Where are you!?" I call out as I searched every single spot they could possibly be at. This is like finding a needle in a haystack, a gigantic haystack that is nothing but rocks, rocks, and what else? More rocks! "I hope I can get to them first before Azul... who knows what'll happen once she goes gaga over him again..." I mutter to myself, lifting up a large boulder and checked underneath then dropped it back down. "

"If I were a cat where would I go..." I checked every possible direction the scent would have gone to before the trail came to a stop, nothing but random creatures and a canyon in sight, and not my friends. "Look I caught one!" I hear a familiar cry not too far from where I was. I lean a bit over the edge and squint my eyes, and the longer I stared at the figured on the other side of the canyon that's when I noticed a certain orange cat with black stripes hugging a blue cat to death. "Azul..." I make a fist and prepare myself to fly over to the other sight, but then I stopped myself. They were having so much fun... without me (Me: If you count screaming out of hunger? Yeah that's fun XD).

I turn and look over my shoulder sadly, "Maybe I should leave them be for now... I shouldn't barge in on them while they're having fun." What else can you expect? I've been gone for three years straight. Yeah I've been communicating with Natsu and the others whenever I get the chance, but there's so much I missed out on I still don't know what's changed any more. Mirajane changed TOO MUCH to recognize! "Oi! Av! We're over here!" I was surprised to hear Natsu's voice calling over to me. I twist around to see Natsu, almost at the edge of the canyon, waving at me as everyone else smiles as they caught sight of me. A single tears drop falls down my cheek, luckily no one saw that from the large gap between up.

I wiped my face and smiled widely at them, flying over to them asking, "You guys tricking to catch those flying fish?" Who am I kidding, these guys are my friends! Yeah they changed a bit, but By the looks of the flock of them flying down below and the fishing poles in their hands, I can tell they've been at it for a while ever since we separated from one another. "Yeah! But none of us got a catch yet..." Natsu grins nervously as he scratches the back of his head. I huff with a hand on my hip, "How'd you get here anyway? I thought you'd wait for Azul and I back at the desert." All eyes, excluding Azul who was still smothering him to death, went to Happy. "He said he knew his way to Magnolia! And that you guys can follow since you've been through here a lot!" Lucy exclaims and points her finger at Happy.

"Why would you trust a cat...? Aren't they bad in directions?" I ask in confusion, a sweat drop forming at the back of my head. Happy yells at this with tears in his eyes, "That's mean Avery! I just got confused by how all these rocks look the same is all!" We all thought the same thing at Happy's words, 'Doesn't that mean you're lost?' "We're you able to find anything Avery?" old man asks me. I shook my head and look down at the ground sadly, "There wasn't much out there but sand and dirt...this side isn't better either. I think I'll take a while till we get back to the guild if we keep this up." There was no other way, we need to keep going or else we'll be trapped in this death trap if we don't so anything soon.

'Maybe I should keep if to myself that we're in clover canyon...' I sweat drop as I laugh nervously when I see Natsu and Gray bickering again over something random. I was caught off guard when Lucy suddenly brings a fishing pole to my face. "Let's catch some fish! We're bound to catch something with more hands, ne?" Lucy tilts her head slightly to the side with an innocent smile on her lips. I took it in my hands nervously, gazing down at the stick unsure what to do next now that I have the actual thing in my hands. "I've... never gone fishing before," I confess as a blush creeps over my cheeks. "Eh!?" everyone exclaims in surprise. "What do you mean you've never gone fishing before? Happy, Gray, and I invited you once before!" Natsu reminds me in disbelief, just as shocked as everyone else to hear this from me.

I scratch my cheek nervously and say with a small smile, "Well you did... but every time we get to the lake you both end up fighting again to the point where you use the fishing poles as a weapon. I've watched Happy while you guys went at it, but still don't get it." "Then what about me? I'm sure I've taught you before as well," Makarov said while putting a worm on his hook. I dead panned at this, "Your idea of fishing was to use me as bait to fetch random women for you." I know he's desperate, but he's already an old man with a son (long gone since forever) and has a grandson right now to look out for, so there's no need for him to hit on women that are 5 times younger than him.

He did tell me many times he considers the entire guild as his children. That's pretty much a lot on his plate to handle. Makarov grin proudly as he ruffles his hair with a large blush rising on his face and looks away from us to avoid our gaze. "If that's the case let me show you how it's done," Gray offers as he takes his hand in mine. The next thing I knew, which I pretty much expected since it happens a lot around me, Natsu punches Gray square in the face and sends him flying away from where we were. "I'll be the one to teach her! She won't learn from a guy who's only good at stripping! C'mon Av let's-" Natsu was interrupted when Gray recovers and quickly returns the favor and hits him the same way he did earlier.

"You only know how to blow stuff up!"  
"Ice Princess!"  
"Ash breath!"  
"Squinty eyes!"  
"Flame brain!"  
"Exhibitionist!"

Erza quickly puts an arm over my shoulder and escorts me to another fishing spot. "All you need is patience Avery," she explains and holds up the pole with pride, "that's the key to catching fish." "Hey!" Natsu and Gray yell behind our backs. I didn't know what Erza did, but the moment she looks over at them they both went quiet and obediently went to try to catch fish.

-Azul-

"Happy look! I think i got a bite!" I cry out in excitement as I felt a huge tug on the string. "Pull it up! We can share the fish 50-40!" Happy tells me and starts to drool, excited at the thought of eating the legendary fish. I just can't restrain myself around him. "Happy!" I completely forgot about the fish at that moment, hearts began to surround Happy from his sudden cuteness. "Uwa! Help me!"

-Back to Me-

"Ah! I think I got one!" I yell as I started to pull on the rode with all my might. When I was able to pull whatever it is us, all I got was a random odd-looking plant that was helplessly moving around to try and get free from the hook. "Wh-What the heck!?" Lucy laughs. I took it in my hand, staring at the thing as it began to shiver in fear on what I was going to do next with the thing while it was still alive. "Hmm... Ah! I got it! It's a new type of wig plant!" I point out, earning a long awkward silence from the two girls. I look at them worriedly and ask, "Eh? Eh? What's wrong?" The only answer I received from them was a small pat on the back. I didn't really get their reactions at all, so I decided to ignore it by taking a closer look at this so-called plant, well moss now that I think about it.

Then an idea came into mind. "I got it!" I immediately huddle the girls together as they listen to my plans intently. Lucy was the first to snicker but quickly quiets down when we felt the boys giving us odd stares, curious on what we were doing as the three of us nod in agreement. I twirl to face them as Erza and Lucy move away with the plant blob in their hands. "Natsu! Gray! Old man! Can you give me a hand with something!" I call over. The two didn't hesitate to heed my calls, only Makarov was the slowest to come over. "What is it you need?"Gray asks. I began to smirk darkly as the two girls pop up behind with the same expression and slam three of the plant on their heads, causing all three to freeze at try to take off what ever is on their heads.

We all burst out laugh at the sight. The plant is also a monster, a D class in fact, it can multiply itself infinitely and sticks to whatever surface when in fear or senses danger. "Get this off!" Natsu roars as he attempts to try and burn it off. If you at it from our perspective, that look like they had giant green Afro's stuck to their head. Erza did Natsu and Gray while Lucy, on the other hand, decided to take Makarov since the armored mage respects the old man too much to do something so discriminating. "Hahahahaha!" Lucy and I laugh hysterically as we both clutch our stomachs in pain. "That afro looks actually good on you Natsu!" I laugh even more and lightly pat both of the boy's backs, who were still trying to take off the thing from their head.

"Wait... where's the master?" Erza asks, causing all of us to stop what we were doing and search for him. "Waaaaah!" screams of Azul and Happy emitted in the air. Natsu and I ran over to where they were, prepared for what we thought was a monster, was actually none other than our master but something was strange with the way he was just standing there... like a zombie. He slowly turns only to reveal something that cause Natsu and I to freeze and start hugging each other in fear. "It's a monster!" we scream at the top of our lungs. The others caught up to where we were and were just as shocked as we were, the plant had transformed into a giant green sunflower and had Makarov's face showing dead center.

Me: Rave master people! XD You better know who I'm talking about!  
Av: Rave master?  
Me: I'll explain to you later.

"What? Is there something on my face?" he asks us in confusion at our reactions. I mentally screamed at him, 'It's on your face!' "Um... actually-" Lucy was stopped by Erza who just shook her head and gazes down at Makarov sadly. "Let's just say you have a little... something there," Happy points out to the old man's nose, trying his best not to laugh at the event's that transpired. "Hm?" I don't want to tell him, not while we're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere where hope can easily be lost. If he found out he had something stuck to his face, who knows how he'll react! "L-Let's just go on and catch some fish!" I offer quickly and take his hand before Makarov could get the chance to touch his face.

I'm not letting his see what we've down because I don't want to get caught for pulling another prank on him again, it's just too much for him to handle all at once with the way things are going for us.

++Later++

"I caught one!" Happy cries out in joy as he pulls up his fishing rode to show off his fish to all of us. Azul and I were happy for him, the others didn't give much of a reaction as they were all too hungry to say anything just at the sight of the winged fish. "Nice one Happy! Then let's go ahead and eat!" I encourage him cheerfully as I wondered at the back of my mind, 'Don't they know how bad that thing tastes...? I give up! At least one of them is eating!' As I place it down on a nearby rock, I couldn't help but jerk away from the fish when it started talking out loud, again. "Oh... I've been caught. Oh... are they going to eat me?" it kept on babbling until Natsu decided enough was enough and cooked it.

"You eat it Happy," Natsu offers, gritting his teeth as hunger started to strike him again. Happy looks around at us concerned saying, "But, I can't just eat it by myself..." "If we split something that tiny between us, it'll only make us hungrier!" Gray butts in, already trying to force the cat to eat it and not wanting to take it by force. I gave him a much nicer way of making eat it, "C'mon Happy! How about this? You eat in the pace of everyone else!" "What about you and Azul?" he asks me as he looks over to see Azul at the edge still trying to catch some fish. "Just eat it! Eat! Eat!" Makarov yells, already losing his patience. Sparkles gleam in his eyes as Happy declares to everyone, "Oh, in that case, don't mind if I do!"

I couldn't help but here the loud growls from everyone's stomach as Happy delightfully eats the cooked winged fish, eating it bit by bit enough to torture those watching him eat it so happily. I knew everyone was hungry, except hearing the loud grumbling noises was too shocking to listen to. "You certainly seem to be enjoying that fish there... Lucky you..." Lucy said in a semi-sarcastic tone as she too watches Happy eat. The boys were either trying to hold back, or crying to see the only food we've caught being devoured right before our eyes. I'm not particularly hungry yet. My friends come first before my own needs, and this might take a while till we find something to eat, so I'll have to wait till everyone else is alright.

"So gross!" Happy blurts out the next second after eating the fish whole. "It's gross!?" Lucy scream in disbelief. I sigh but just couldn't stop smiling at their antics. "Look Happy! I got more fish! Ore? Is something wrong?" a confused Azul asks after catching enough winged fish and bringing them over for Happy. Seeing so many of them, Happy holds back from barfing and runs off, leaving a shocked Azul and her catch all alone. "Nande!?" We ended up freeing the winged fish Azul caught and decided to continue to find out way back home through the valley, though at this rate I don't know how long we'll make it without starving to death. Azul floats next to me in a lazy manner stating, "I hate fish so much..."

I sweat drop saying, "You're just saying that cause Happy rejected you again..." "So hungry..." Natsu groans as his stomach growls at the same time. "Shut up already...! Gah! I can't even think of a good insult to shut you up..." Gray grumbles in annoyance, his stomach also growling for food. I wanted to laugh at this, but for their sake I'll wait until it's a perfect time to laugh about all of this when everything is done and over with. Azul's ears perk up as she point ahead, "Hey look! A forest!" "A forest?" Erza says in disbelief. The moment they all saw the forest, everyone immediately bolts towards the village without a second to waste, leaving the two of us behind to jaw drop at their reaction. "Food!" Natsu cries out.

Azul and I look at one another worriedly and ran after the group. "Oi! Hold on a second guys! We don't know if this place is safe!" Azul calls out to them as we dashed after them. The moment I stepped on to the grounds of the forest, a sudden shock went through out my body as I froze in place at the strange intense presence of magic from all around me. "Avery? What's wrong?" Azul asks me with a look of concern as she floats over back to me. I raise a hand up, reassuring her, "I'm fine...! I just thought I felt something there for sec... Let's go catch up with the others!" Even though finding the others is more important, I can't shake this weird feeling that there's something here that needs my help.

We caught up to the rest towards the deeper part of the forest, but there was something we came across that caused everyone to freeze in place. At least we both were able to catch up to them without worrying of losing them, either way we would have found them with Natsu on the rampage on the search for food. He's the only person I know who's that good in leaving a path of destruction for me to follow. "I wonder if anyone lives here..." Happy wonders out loud as he float closer to the house. Erza walks up to it cautiously, knocks and waits for a few minutes for someone to answers. When those few minutes went by we all jump back in fear as Erza decided to bang on the door with all her might, already getting impatient on waiting for someone to answer the door.

"Erza don't do that!" I panic as I rush to her side and tried my best hold her fist back. And holy heck is she stronger than I remember! "It's rude for someone not to answer their door! We're guests and it's improper to not answer the door," Erza states. I was going to take her seriously, until all of us hear her stomache growl really really loud. "That's it! We're leaving! We can find food in the forest!" I tugged her arm hoping she would comply, but when I did it was like as if I didn't even make her budge a from her spot. This time I used both of my hands and pulled even harder, Unable to make her move, I pulled my goggles on and pulled even harder as wind storms wrap around my legs.

"Just... forget... about it!" The wind blew harder the more I tried to Erza away from the door, but she was just as persistent in staying as I was to make her leave the house alone. "Avery-san calm down!You're over doing it!" I was about to put all I got in pulling Erza back only for the door to finally creek open. "Huh?" I let go of Erza as we both stopped inside, taking a small peek before fully open the door to reveal nothing but darkness inside. "There's no one here," Gray states. "It's certainly an eerie place," Lucy says nervously as she gazes over my shoulder. "Maybe they're all taking a nap?" Natsu bluntly suggests. Azul sweat drops and yells, "I don't think that's the case Natsu!"

It was really weird that there was no one around. I tried sniffing the air, but I can't catch a single scent except ours. Natsu calls out, "Oi! Is anybody here?" "We're really really hungry! Somebody give us food!" Happy follows his friends' lead. Lucy face palms at this and states, "Hey, starving cat over there... that's too blunt." I join in calling out, "Please! They'll all starving to death! We really some help here!" "You too!?" she jaw drops, seeing me stand with the duo and calling out with them. "Oi oi don't join him..." Gray eyes me with sweat drop on the side of his head. There was still no answer. "Maybe they really are asleep," Gray said in defeat, finally complying to Natsu's blunt idea.

Makarov also made a blunt suggestion, "That, or maybe the owners got drunk and passed out." "I think you're talking about Fairy Tail," Lucy and Azul point out. I sigh at his reaction to this, "Ho ho! Ain't that the truth!" I think the hunger is finally affecting his train of thoughts. I sniff the air even more for a few minutes until I finally gave up at the disgusting scent of rotten garbage went through my nostrils. "Eek! I think I'll rest my nose for a bit..." I mutter as I plug my nose and leaned against the nearest object. I gaze up at what I was leaning on, only to jump back in fear and yell out loud, "What the hell is that thing!?" The statue was a strange looking demon dog that had three heads, each mouth having 2 sets of large teeth and looked... almost realistic. Too realistic

I felt familiar shivers run down my spine as I stared at the thing. I snap out of it when I hear Natsu cry out all of a sudden, "Agh this is so annoying! I'm gonna eat something even if I have to do it by force!" I turn my head in the direction I head his voice and see him dashing off up the stairs. I fell over to the side seeing Gray run with Natsu.

"Oi, you aren't planning to rob someone are you?"  
"Are you telling me that's not what you're doing?"

The others went on after them, but for some odd reason I felt the need to stay and wait a few moments, leaving me the only one left behind at the mushroom statue. I closed my eye as whispers began to fill the air now that it's so quiet, "I can hear them... the voices... I know someone is calling out to me..." I've been told many times by Polysciua not to tell anyone about the voices, my strange ability to hear the voices of spirits, not Natsu or any one of my closest friends are allowed to know about this unless I have to. At least that's what she told me to do. I hate hiding secrets from them, but if she thinks it's for the best, I'd rather not argue with an old (Me: hahaha! Old XD) friend if mine.

"Save... someone... us..." the voices were in a very hushed tone. I may have advanced hearing like the dragon slayer I am, it's just that my other ability is much more different than my dragon slayer magic and I barely practice using it, so that means I don't have much practice with it.

Me: Time for a small show explanation on this! Magic requires energy in using it, this 'ability' she's talking about is know as her 7th sense. So for now Avery can only hear voices. It'll be explained in later chapters why she has this!  
Av: Wait- that means I can hear ghosts all the time!?  
Me: *sweat drop* Don't tell me you earned a fear of ghosts now ^^  
Av: It's not that! (Dang Natsu and his stupid ghost stories...)

I looked around wearily at my surroundings as my body began to automatically quake all over, the presence was getting stronger and intense than how I last felt it. "The wind is oddly stiff here... What happened to this place?" I mutter as I hug myself in fear. "Avery! Where are you!?" I nervously look over my shoulder to see Azul and Happy floating around a bit in search of me. "I'm over here!" I call out to them as I run towards them, taking one last nervous glance at my previous spot as I did so.

||Inside one of the rooms||

We open up the door to find everyone surrounding... food!? I can't believe there is untouched food left inside an empty house when there's absolutely no signs of life in this village, or unless there were people just too scared to come out of their homes like some other villages I've been to. I sweat drop asking the group, "Were you guys that hungry to kick the owners of this house out...?" "No! We just chanced upon this place while searching," Lucy looks over to the others and sweat drops as well, "but we did end up finding a place with food. Nobody was home when we got here." "We plan on searching the area for the land owners of the house and hopefully some food outside," Erza informs me.

"That is weird- Oi! What are you doing!?" I exclaim when I caught Natsu and Gray trying to reach for the food behind Erza's turned back. Erza catches them instantly, grabs their heads then slams them both together in a brutal manner. She drops them and glares down at them darkly as she warns them, "You both touch that food... and I'll make sure you never eat again." Lucy and I sweat drop at her usual brutal disciplinary tendencies. "I'll pick Natsu up while you get Gray. Azul, Happy-" I stop instructing Lucy when Azul float rights past us and ignores me while carrying Happy by the ankle, hearts floating all around while heading out of the house ahead of us.

"Avery! Save me!" Happy pleads for his life before the door slams shut. "Uh... I'll go ahead and take Gray," Lucy says as she picks up Gray and drags him out the door. I sigh and shake my head with a smile on my face as I sigh, "Geez... And to think Natsu was the only one I had to look out for."

-Normal-

Avery adjusts his body after putting his arm around her shoulder only to find it much easier to carry the older boy than she had first anticipated. "Otto... Huh? That's weird... I thought Natsu would be harder to carry... Oh well," she shrugs it off and walks towards the door. Secretly, as Avery carries Natsu out to catch up with the others, the boy opens one eye to take a small peek at the girl as she helps him while 'passed out'in her arms. While carrying him out, she notices something off and spots both of Natsu's feet taking small tiny steps. 'I guess it can't be helped,' I smile and continued to catch up to the rest.

||Mushroom forest||

"Why did it have to be mushroom...?" Lucy groans. Avery just shrug saying, "Well it's better than having nothing to eat at all. I think it was a good idea not to eat that food, who knows what will happen is the owners magically come back." Lucy flails her arms around saying, "I think you should have seen Erza earlier! Her stomach was so loud! I don't know how you've been able to last this long Avery-san." I giggle at the strange honorific she called me, "What's with the '-san'? Just call me Avery like everyone else. I am younger than you Lucy." It took Lucy a few moments to realize what she just said until- "Eh!?"

-Back to Me-

I pick up one of the odd looking mushrooms and eyed it weirdly as I wonder out loud, "Is this all those people eat? Maybe they gained a high level of poison tolerance from all these mushrooms after so many years..." "Wow look at this mushroom Av! It almost has Gray's face on it!" Natsu laughs as he shows me the mushroom he was talking about. The moment I saw it, I instantly covered my mouth to stifle my laugh from escaping my lips. It was really hilarious at how deformed the face looks, but I didn't want to hurt my friends feelings' and that's the last thing I want to do out here away from home. "Ha? Well take a look at this!" I was lightly pushed aside by Gray as he shoves a pink looking mushroom at Natsu's face.

I sat there at a loss of words as they both shove their mushrooms at each others face, switching immediately to their fists and completely forgetting the mushrooms. I pick them both up and held back my laughter from coming out, 'I wonder if I shoulder tell them BOTH of these mushrooms have their faces... but it gives be a better image of how they'll look as old men!' "Avery-san! Can you give me a hand with these...!?" Lucy calls over. "Hey! You both make sure not to go overboard, okay?" the only answer I got from the two was a simply 'Yes!' and then go back to fighting each other. Unsure of leaving my two best friends behind, I give them a short nervous glance one last time then run off and help whatever Lucy needed me for.

I run up to Lucy who had her back turned to me, stepping back in fear much to my confusion. I put a hand on her shoulder and ask her, "What's wrong Lucy?" I followed the direction of her gaze only to freeze in shock, cold chills running down my spine as Lucy and I stare down in fear. "Lucy...! Help me!" Happy plea's, tearfully flying up to us to reveal to everyone his now purple fur and a large mushroom growing on his head. Lucy and I ran with our arms flailed up in the air, screaming, "It's a monster!" Natsu and Gray stop fighting when we suddenly shove past them and shield ourselves behind the two, me behind Natsu and Lucy behind Gray.

They look at us in confusion then looked at what it was that had us so spooked. "What the heck is that!?" they both scream with their eyes bulging out when Happy chases after us, still crying his eyes out. Then it dawned on me- "Azul? Where are you!?" I hear a faint voice cry out to me, "...I'm over here!" I turn to the direction where I heard the voice. The next thing I knew, I was hugging Natsu and crying in fear as I caught sight of a very blue Azul and a large mushroom growing on her head. I hugged Natsu tightly around his torso from behind. I think but I didn't care, all I could focus on is how terrifying my cat partner looked with that mushroom on top. "A-Av...! I can't... breath!" Natsu murmurs, barely breathing.

"Avery..."  
"Iyaaaaah! Stay away!"

I think after that everything finally cooled down when Natsu's spine finally snapped- Not enough to break in half, but it was enough to snap out of my fear and see Natsu go limp with his soul flying out. "Wah! Natsu hold on!

-Erza-

Something was off about this home. By the manner of how everything was set up, it was like as if the owners were just recently here but just... disappeared. "Erza," Master calls over to me. I turn around to see the master staring at an odd family portrait. "The people on the portrait... they look so sad..." I comment as I ran my hand over old painted fabric. There was a strange magic presence attached to the portrait, almost as if there was something alive that's holding on. "You can feel it too, correct?" I look down at the master in shock then recomposed myself and nod, putting all of my attention back on the strange picture. The family inside it were so sad, but was most strange was the fact none of them looked related at all.

"Ahhhhhh!" a scream emitted from outside the hall before the door slams shut. I ran over to it and reached for the door knob only for it to suddenly disappear, and to make things worse, the scream began to intensify. Master and I covered our ears, collapsing to the ground as the scream became too high pitched for any human being to withstand.

-Back to Me-

"Natsu don't eat that!" I yell as I tried to stop the boy, but it was too late to stop him. We were on our way back to the house when Natsu and I felt something was off about the scent in the air, but on the way there a certain duo got hungry even though Happy and Azul showed us what the consequences are. He shoved it in his mouth. I take Natsu by the shoulder and tried to make him spit it out, "Natsu spit it out! Do you want to end up like Happy and Azul!?" "Don't worry Avery! As long as we eat the normal looking mushrooms we'll be fine," Gray reassures me as he shoves a mushroom in his mouth. We all waited for a moment. At first nothing happened, but as soon as I let my guard down Lucy and I screamed in fear as their skin changes color and mushrooms pop on top of their heads.

"This is why I hate mushrooms!" Lucy points out and screams even more as the mushrooms grew bigger.

++Later++

I sigh pinching the bridge of my nose as I glare down at the four, "This is why I said before to be careful what you eat... now look at you guys! Erza and jii-san won't be happy if they see you like this." They all bow their heads down in shame as the apologize to me. Not only did a large mushroom grow on Natsu and Gray's heads, their skin changed color as well. Natsu ended up having a dark shade of pink all over his body while Gray turned blue with yellow polka dots on some parts of his limbs. "Sorry Avery..." Gray spoke up. "It was too much to handle with my stomach growling so much! Hahaha... I'll shut up now..." Natsu cowers in fear when his eyes come in contact with my dark intense gaze.

Lucy puts a hand over her mouth and mutters in amazement, "Waah...a second Erza..." Azul tries to make an excuse to save her and Happy, "We thought of gathering some for Erza and Master since we know Natsu will gobble it all up, except Happy and I got a little curious and tried one." "Aye! Besides," I saw drool running down Happy's mouth as he continues, "it looked like a fish so it was really hard NOT to eat it. I sweat drop at this thinking, 'You were that desperate to eat...' I felt a hand on my shoulder, "C'mon Avery, I think they learned their lesson already." "Mmm..." I still need to make sure these guys learned their mistake, if I just let them off Erza would be the one to do it.

Because unlike Erza's usual punishments, I take it down a notch with the punishments but I still make sure they'll never do it again. If Erza found out about the mushrooms, especially if she knew Natsu and Gray already know the consequences- she'd go ballistic! Then it came to me- "You two aren't allowed any fish for the entire day," I ordered, earning a long groan from the two cats (mostly Happy). "Natsu... Gray..." They both shut their eyes and prepared for the worst as I got closer to them. I raise a hand above their heads, but instead of brutally hurting them like they were both expecting to happen, I simply bonked them on the head. Natsu and Gray open their eyes to gap at me as I stood before them with a smile on my lips.

"That was just a warning! Next time listen to me or else!" I don't know why, but whatever I did made these two speechless and turn pink. Lucy whispered something to Happy, but I was too busy scolding these two to pay attention. I can ask Happy later. He always talks about things like that, even if it's a secret. The ground began to shake not long after. As Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy ran back to the house as Azul and I flew above ground to see what was happening from above. "What is that!?" Azul gasps. We float in place as we watch in horror as the house began to transform into a monster. We watch as most part of it became flesh while the remaining parts of it's body uses some of the surrounding nature as it's limbs.

"I don't know... but the smell is getting stronger now..." I comment, plugging my nose at the same stink I smelt earlier. Azul caught whiff of it too and yells in disgust, "It stinks so much! I can even taste it on my tongue...! That's the most horrible stench I've ever smelt!" I caught sight of a small explosion from it's upper side, debris blocking my view for a moment until I finally spot a flash of red. I gasp and point out to Azul, "There's Erza! I think jii-san is with them!" With one last look at each other, we both flew towards the large monster and split up as we got closer to it. Azul joined the others below as I flew towards where Erza is. "Erza! Over here!" I call out, dodging the object falling off of the monster.

"Avery get back! This thing is-" unable to finish, I watch in horror as Erza passes out on the spot and began to lean over the edge. "Erza!" I cried out, rushing towards her as her body began to drop faster down to earth. I was almost there until a large arm stretches past me and catches Erza before her body could reach the ground. I look up and smile, squealing in joy, "Nice catch jii-san!" I flew over and grab him as the monster reaches over to us. "What's wrong with Erza!?" I ask him, gazing down worriedly at the passed out armored mage. He puffs, "Her hunger got the best of her. I don't blame her though..." I almost lost balance in the air when I heard this.

I sweat drop rolled on the side of my dead, thinking, 'So she was starving to death... and here I thought something bad happened to her...' Now that we're all finally together there's just one more tiny problem we need to deal with. "What the hell is that thing!?" Gray yells. Before Makarov could answer, the ground below me directly shook and the next thing I knew roots wrapped themselves around me, lifting me off the ground and away from my friends. "Av!" Natsu yells as he tries to reach out for me. My arms were pinned to my sides, preventing me from using any spells. I wiggle at least my left arm out and try to reach out for Natsu, "Natsu!" But it was too late, by the time I got get my arm out I was already too far for either of us to reach one another.

"Give her back! Karyu no hoko!" I watch helplessly as Natsu charges at the legs of the monster and roars his flames. Erza and Gray charge after him not long after. "Re-equip!" a light surrounds the woman for a brief moment then comes out in her black wing armor, flying up towards the upper parts of the body. I can hardly tell what the thing looked like, it was still taking shape and was seems to be defending itself as the same time. Erza rushes past her target, slashing them in a cross pattern. "Ice make kite!" I look up to see Gray flying up in the air on top of an ice made kite, and goes into another stance to make his next spell. "Ice make arrows!" Multiple arrows made of ice fly past me at high speed, one of them nearly slicing the side of my cheek as all of them try to slice the roots around me.

"Hey you pervert! You're gonna hit Av!" Natsu yells, quickly punching one of the roots as they sprout out at him. Gray retorts back with a fist raised, "Then you think of a better way to free her! I'm trying to make sure to get her out alive! Unlike you!" If I don't start doing something soon Gray and Natsu might end each other before they end the most, among other things that's the main problem with them fighting in the same area. I inhale as much wind my almost crushed lungs can take. "Ranryu no... hoko!" The tornado made its way to what I think is the head of the monster, but when it was just about to make a head shot, I silently scream as it gaps its 'mouth' open and swallows it.

"Are you serious!? Then how about this! Ranryu no hassei!" One leg ignites and I swung my body hard enough to bring myself close to the monster, kicking on small part of it. It wasn't that strong of an attack like I planned, except I was able to leave a large hole on it's side. I raise a fist and laughed, "Hah! Think I'd be a helpless damsel in distress!? I don't think so buster!" Right then and there, I was brought up face to face with the monster. I struggled to get out of roots as it brought me closer to it, the roots tighten around my body even more each time I tried to get out. "Save... Save..." my eyes widen in shock. I reach out to it and mutter out loud, "Don't tell me... inside this how is..."

I felt the world around me shift move from side to side as its side explodes. "Hold on Av! I'm almost there!" I hear Natsu call out to me. I spot him through the smoke and see Happy holding up Natsu in the air. Just as Natsu was about to reach me, Gray comes in and pushes Natsu to the side. "I'll handle this flame brain! You can burn the house down! I can take care of Avery!" I already knew where this is going. Natsu shoves Gray back and yells, "No way ice princess!" I sigh as they both began to fight each other in the air and fly right past me, completely forgetting about the monster. "Will you both just focus! Geez... Gate of the crab I open thee! Cancer!"

I scream at the top of my lungs when Cancer suddenly appears behind my back and began to wildly cut at the roots. "Nice to see you again- ebi!" Cancer greets me as he flashes his signature scissors in the air. I nervously smile and greet him back, "Heya Cancer..." "Cancer! Cut Avery out and make sure to trim some of those rooms down to size," she winks, twirling Cancer's key around her finger. First Cancer cuts the roots that rose up to stop him into perfectly squared pieces, then began rapidly cutting me out. "Chotto Lucy! I don't think that- Kyaaah!" I accidentally let out a girly scream as Cancer successfully cuts me out of my bonds.

There is no way I can fly like this, up in the air and without my goggles on, my fear of heights is now kicking in again. Azul finally flies over to me and grabs me from behind, "Gotcha! It's okay Avery! I'll bring you back to the others!" Paralyzed by fear, I couldn't pay attention to what Azul was saying to me, all I could focus on was how high up we were from the ground. Eventually, we were able to get back to Makarov and Lucy on time before my upcoming panic attack. "What is that thing?" I ask. "It's a creature made by the forbidden spell 'Alive'," Makarov spoke up. "Alive?" Lucy repeats. Neither pf us had heard of this until now.

"Mmm... When Erza and I were inside, we found many things off about the house. What we found most interesting was a portrait inside, but once we made contact in it we activated the spell by accident. The magic seal was hidden so well that even I couldn't sense it properly..."  
"This is the first I've heard of it..."  
"It is, but you've encountered it before Avery."

"What is it?" I look down at him in confusion. He brings be down to his level, which hurt like hell due to his very short stature, and whispers into my ear, "I didn't tell Erza this... but I found a few things that's been bothering you for a while..." He placed something in my hand and allowed me to stand up straight. It was a locket. Cautiously, I open it up to see two images of a little girl project itself. "There are many types of living magic... and in this case someone tried to commit the impossible with their own version of the 'Alive' spell," he said solemnly as he gazes up at the monster. It makes so much sense now. There have been many questions if it's possible to bring the dead back, a thing I know can never happen.

"But then again-" drool began to drip out of the corner of his mouth. "Oi you three! I have an idea for ya!" All four stop attacking the monster once they heard Makarov call out to them. "What is it!?" Natsu yells impatiently. I can clearly tell he was too pissed to pay attention to what our master has to say to them. The idea Makarov had in mind was- "Since this thing's a living creature... we can turn it into food!" "EH!?" Lucy, Azul, and I exclaim, horrified at the thought of eating that thing. No matter how ridiculous the two boys look with the mushrooms on their head and odd change of skin color, the menacing hungry looks in their eyes clearly showed they were liking the idea.

"You both can't be serious on eating that thing!?" raising her voice even higher, Lucy yells at them as they stared down at it in hunger. I cover my mouth to prevent myself from puking as I muttered, "You shouldn't have told me about what you found jii-chan... the idea of eating that thing is disgusting enough as it is..." A loud growl erupted from almost everyone's stomachs. "Alright it's time to eat!" Natsu yells enthusiastically. Happy cheers, "Aye! I'll help out too!" Erza was the very first to start attacking the monster again. Natsu and Gray followed not long after. "There they go..." I sigh as a small smile crosses my lips. The way things are going, I doubt any of them will stop until their stomachs are satisfied.

"Guess there's no other choice..." I pulled my goggles on and summoned all the wind I could get around the lower part of my legs. "You're going too Avery!?" Lucy gasps. I nod, barely two feet off the ground from where we stand. "Yeah! Someone has to keep these guys calm! Azul, make sure you keep these two covered!" I said one last time then flew off toward the battle field. "Yes ma'am!" Azul salutes. I ignite both hands with wind and sent a powerful wind enhanced slash attack at both sides of the monsters' head. "Furyu no niju tsume!" It cries out a pained roar, stumbling back a bit but the roots below helped it stay in place. "Good timing Avery! I need your help cutting this part of its body," requests Erza, landing on one part of it and wields two butch knifes.

"Wakatta!" I sweat drop as soon as I noticed what exactly she was wearing, "Tokoro de... What exactly are you wearing?" The first thing that caught my eye was her chef's hat and apron, what's underneath I have no clue what it is nor do I want to know. "Avery watch out!" I turn around just in time as Gray jumps down from his kite and blocks my view of what was happening. "Ice make net!" That's when I noticed a giant root hand trying to reach out to me, quickly being covered in Gray's ice and ended up frozen in place. "Thank Gray...!" "Don't thank me just yet! The meal isn't ready yet!" I face palmed at his reaction. "Shouldn't you be saying 'The fight isn't over yet!' or something cooler...!?" I comment once he runs a fair distance away.

"Uwaaaaaaah!" On my right, I automatically duck once the object got close to where I was. I turn to look at what is was that flew over my head and gasp, "Happy!? What are you doing? And why aren't you with Natsu!?" I thought it was something dangerous, but all I see is Happy having rodeo with the upper part of the monster that's edible for them to eat. I shivered at the idea and mutter our loud, "Eating a monster is by far the weirdest idea ever..." "Oi Av! Over here! I saved a part just for you!" Natsu calls to my left, waving his hands as he stood on top of an already roasted part of the monster. It's surprising how serious they all are on eating this thing, it's even still alive and kicking!

I call back to him, "Hang on a sec! I'll be done in just a second!" I flew up towards the head of the monster, its red glowing eyes following my every movement as I got closer to its face. Once I got there, I already had my fist ignited with turbulent storm winds and prepared to make my next move. "I'm sorry... but whatever you are I made a vow to take down any thing that tries to harm my friends," I said as I raised my fist up. "Save... us... save..." the voice once again pleads. I nod with closed eyes. "Yeah... I will... Furyu no ranken!" I dove down towards the center of the head, a deep purple glow emitted on the spot I was aiming for. "STOP!" I caught off guard when, the statue that I saw earlier, came to life and jumped up towards me, knocking me down to the ground.

"Av!" Natsu jumps after me, forgetting the cooked monster flesh. He kicks the stone statue off me, grabs me and pulls me into his arms. Natsu flips around when he saw the ground getting coming close, taking the impact for the both of us once we made impact. "Mmm... Natsu!? Wake up!" I push myself out of his arms and lift the unconscious boy in my arms. The statue lands perfectly on its feet not too far from where we are. It growls at us, "You aren't breaking the spell...! After many years of gathering these lost souls... I will not let all of my masters' work go to waste!" "Your master...? Wait-" I immediately remembered the locket. I took it out of my pocket and held it out for it to see.

"Was this master of yours trying to bring this girl back!?"  
"I've been all alone for ages... I won't let you take them away from me!"

Just as it was about to pounce us, I raised a hand up and cried out, "Furyu no saiga!" I didn't do much effort in destroying the thing, but once it crumbled to pieces the monster soon comes to an immediate stop. "It... stopped...?" I felt Natsu shift below me. "Natsu! You alright!?" I ask him worriedly as he sat up, rubbing the back of his. He groans, "Yeah... but don't worry! There's no way something like that can take me down that easily!" I giggle at his usual boisterous attitude. "Oh yeah! I forgot about the food! C'mon let's go and try some out!" Before I could get the chance to answer, Natsu grabs my hand and leaps up to the nearest platform.

-Normal-

After getting to their prospective spots, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Avery all prepared to try out their catch. "Uh Natsu... I don't think eating this thing is a good idea," Avery spoke up, glancing back at the monster every now and then. She can't tell whether it just frozen or died once the strange statue was destroyed. Thankfully, it hadn't moved an inch since then. "Hold on... why am I here again?" Lucy questions the older woman as she picks up on of the sticks she made out of the monster. "I want to try some of this before allowing the master to eat. Now-" Erza took a bite from the gray stick she took out of the pile. Happy, on the other hand, was still having a rodeo on his end.

He went past the two girl, which Lucy saw and sweat drop at his fruitless effort. Gray had his perfectly covered in ice, just how he likes it. "Now... time to taste." Simultaneously, all four of them took a bite. After a few moments registering the taste, all of them (excluding Avery) spat it out in disgust. "It's gross!" Makarov and Azul simply sat in the same some, patiently waiting for the group. "Why aren't you grossed out!?" asks Natsu as he tries to wipe the remaining taste from his tongue. Avery shrugs and takes another bite at the piece. "It tastes fine to me," she comments. Though, miraculously, thanks to the monsters flesh it somehow cure Natsu and Gray from the effects mushrooms they ate.

"Ah Natsu! Your mushroom is gone!" Avery points out, delighted when she see's it fall off of his head. His skin went back to normal not longer after. Natsu jumps up to his feet and cheers, "Yes! I'm back to normal! Hahahaha!" "Waaaah!" Happy finally defeats the root, that was still moving around for some off reason, and crashes next to the two. "I don't feel so good..." Happy mutters, swirls forming in his eyes. Avery giggles then tells Natsu, "I'm gonna give some to Azul and jii-san. Hopefully this stuff can help them out."

-Back to Me-

Thankfully, my flesh did work on the two, but the taste was so revolting to Makarov he ended up fainting on the spot after putting it in his mouth. "Still there's nothing to eat... did you six find anything in the forest?" Erza turns to face us with crossed arms. Natsu and Gray sweat nervously and kept their mouths shut, too afraid to say anything to her. I lightly sigh in relief, "At least Erza was too hungry to see them like that..." Lucy shakes her head, answering, "No luck. There wasn't anything edible to eat." I look at Lucy with my mouth slightly gaped open, earning a simple wink from the girl behind Erza's back. "I see..." "Save... save..." I felt shivers run down my spine again.

"Why...? Even after destroying the source..." I gasp and collapsed onto my knee's, the dark aura growing the longer we stayed in this area. "Avery!" Everyone gathered around me as I continued to stay on the ground, trembling all over in fear with every second passing by. "I see... the presence is still here," Makarov spoke up, surprising everyone as he walks up to me. "Oji-chan! What's wrong with her!?" Natsu asks worriedly, crouching down by my side and tries to comfort me as best as he could. Makarov sighs, "I have no choice then... It seems we can't keep it from you anymore..." "Hold on...!" I held my hand up to stop him.

"I know that to do... I can see it now..."

++Later On++

"So Avery," Lucy spoke up as she rushes over to my side. "What exactly happened back there?"

::FlashBack::

_After suddenly leaving them all without a word, a purple light glows at the spot where I disappeared off to. The entire group gaps at the sight as a large number of people began to appear one by one. _

::End of FlashBack::

It seems that these guys were lost travelers like us as well, got confused where they were going in the canyon like we are and tried to search for food and shelter. The magic circle was secretly activated every time someone steps inside the house and, if not careful, get trapped inside the house before becoming one with it. The statue acted as the eyes and detonator of the spell. With it gone, there's no way the spell could continue working anymore. We still never clearly understood why the wizard that made that spell wanted to use his own version of the 'Alive' spell if all it did was trap people. I wanted to investigate the place first, but every single person was too scared to step close to the fallen house.

I grin at her and said, "It's a secret! Jii-san told me to never tell anyone! Even though he was about to, I'd rather keep it a secret for now!" "With that aside..." Azul spoke up, weakly floating over to me then collapse on top of my head. I can clearly tell what they were all thinking. "We're still hungry!" most of them cry out, accompanied with loud stomach growls. Azul and I laugh a little as we both state at the same time, "We've got a long way to go..." "I'm surprised jii-san hasn't noticed his face is still green," Azul comments, earning a small nod from me as we follow the group from behind.

**To Be Continued**

**Hi guys! Damn this one took a while... anyway I think I'll take it down a notch with the japanese phrases for now. I literally keep forgetting to translate what they mean since I know there are readers out there that aren't that fluent in japanese. So sorry I didn't update last month, I've had a lot going on like college, surgery, and other stuff that makes me scream in pain... The story didn't go as planned, but the official chapter didn't save for some odd reason so I used a portion from an older version of Winds of hope when it was still in developement.  
**

**Av: So I guess you can finally talk to everyone now!  
Me: Yep! I'm really really sorry... *bows* I'll try to work faster and stick to the schedule I put up.  
Av: About the japanese phrases, I've been having a heard time remembering them... *sweat drops*  
Me: I thought so... No wonder I kept seeing you along in the studio late at night! Hahaha!  
Av: It's not my fault japanese is hard to pronouce!  
Me: -^- *raises hand* I've had no problems with it!  
Av: You're the one who was raised in japan! Besides why doesn't that Cat girl speak in Japanese phrases since she's an otaku?  
Me: Ah! Well Since I have the chance here... Depending on the anime, I try to imagine the dialogues in my head between the japanese and english dubs. And since I like the japanese dub in Fairy Tail better than the english I decided to put in some phrases.  
Av: Is that why in the alchemy side of the studio they don't speak japanese?  
Me: No because I found out years ago as a kid the kind of monarchy used in FMA is based slightly german based. ^^  
Av: *sweatdrop*  
Me: Alright now for the next trivia question! *digs in bag* Ah hah! Let's see... Why doesn't Gajeel Redfox have an age? Hm now that I think of it, he's one of the few that doesn't have an official age yet...  
Av: Who's Gajeel?  
Me: You'll find out soon enough! Just do the 'thing' again.  
Av: Huh? Oh! Next time on Winds of hope! Finally we get to come home after 3 years! Huh? What's that Azul? Our secret- oh! Hehehe... Now I remember... get the kit ready! Chapter 5 - Welcome home!  
Me: Thank you for waiting patiently... *bows* I do not own Fairy Tail, all rights belong to Mashima-sensei! I only own Avery, Azul, and many OC's to come!  
**

**Av has her own profile in fairy tail oc wikia. Look it up and you can see it :) Still fixing it, but you can use it in case you forget the english trans of Av's spells.  
**


	6. Chapter 5

_~Mirajane's Intro~_

_'I don't think it's completely such a bad thing_

_to cling to one single person,but you have any_

_number of people all around you._

_People are always connected to one another. You see?_

_Just reach out your hand, and there's someone right here._

_It's when people realize how lonely it is_

_being on their own, that they start to become kind...'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 5 - Welcome Home!~_  
**

-Me-

As we returned back to the Guild, Azul stops me by grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back a bit. I look up at her in confusion as she puts a finger to her lips, that is, until I saw her take out a certain kit from her pocket we've been saving. A large smirk crosses my lips as I nod in approval. With one last short glance at the group to check if anyone was paying attention to us, we snuck away before any of them could notice our disappearance. 'Let the fun begin!' I thought deviously as we flew off towards the guild ahead of them.

-Normal-

"We're home!" Natsu cries out happily as he threw the large wooden doors open. Mirajane was the first to greet them after handing out the remaining beers, "Welcome home guys! Did the mission go well?" "More or less," Erza answers proudly. Lucy sighs and put a hand on her forehead, "If you count being chased by a pack of guild masters and getting in a canyon…" "Hehehe… Oh right! You just missed Avery," she informs them much to their surprise, "she left a few minutes ago before you arrived." This information caused everyone to freeze, everyone except Lucy, who had no idea what was coming to her and the entire guild.

"Eh? But she's right here- Where'd she go!?" exclaims the blonde as she turns around to jaw drop at the spot Avery and Azul previously were. Natsu and Happy were the first to react by bolting to the deeper part of the guild, screaming at the top of their lungs, "Run! The storm is coming!" Then, out of nowhere, a spring trap (Me: Not the animatronic -_-) pops up below Natsu's feet and catapults him up into the air, sending him straight into a steel bared caged that hung up on the ceiling. "Hey what- Erg…."his face immediately turns green as a black figure passes by, causing the cage to swing from side to side.

Seeing this, all of the other guild members started to run around and began to cautiously look around for anymore of Avery's traps, fearing for the worst after seeing how fast the fire dragon slayer was easily taken out. "Kuso… She's gotten better…"Gray curses under his breathe. He slowly tries to slip to the side lines in hopes of avoiding any of Avery's prank traps, but to his avail, sets off another trap by accidentally stepping on a trip wire. He freezes in fear for what's coming. At first, only a hand full of petals andfeathers fell, relieving him, but then the unexpected happened the second he let his guard down.

A large metal pan falls down and hits him on top of his head. Gray falls and was about to fall to the ground, only for the floor boards to slide open and reveal a floor of burning charcoal waiting for him. He was able to stop himself from falling in by making two ice railings to keep him from falling. The worst soon came when the same black figure quickly passes by. To everyone's confusion his face flinches in shock and his cheeks turn hot pink. Up top, the flag of fairy tail was soon replaced by a pair of boxers. Avery and Azul appear next to it and salute the under wear, crying out, "Let the prank wars begin!"

Chaos began in the guild not long after. "You have to take it like a man!"Elfman bellows. What he didn't know was that once he sat down, his whole world would turn upside down. The next thing he know, his vision suddenly flips around as those watching see the man flip backwards and disappear, for a few seconds, into the floor boards. As he came back up, a large sign opens up reading 'Woman!'(In kanji) as Elfman sat there no longer the man he once was. "W-W-W-Woman!" he cries out, horrified at what he has become.

He wore a pink ballerina outfite with a pair of oversized shoes to come with it, hair tied up in two ponytails that stuck up towards the air, too much make-up painted on his face, and lastly a pair of fairy wings on his back. All of the traps around the guild suddenly went off. Some ended up tripping on a trip wire and end up getting their clothes burnt off, others were glued to their seats as tar was poured onto them with a bundle of feathers as decoration. A man was about to drink his beer until he spews it out to find a bunch of eye balls inside, which blink at him all at once.

Another poor victim found himself bound to the wall by spiderwebs. With the spiders of course. "Hey there big boy~" a girl in a bikini appears by Wakaba's side, lacing her arms around his shoulder. His face turns red as he happily smiles, his pipe drooping down. "You cheater...!" his wife screeches. He flinches at the sudden appearance of his wife, and to make it worse his daughter was there too. "I always knew you were a pervert… but to think you'd do it in front of us!" his daughter yells. The only ones left untouched by the pranks were Makarov, Mirajane, Erza and Lucy.

"What the hell is this!?" Lucy squeals in fear and hugs herself as she watches everything that's happening all around her. Erza huffs and makes her way to the battlefield, "Avery! Azul! That's enough!" "Erza watch out!" warns Lucy as she reaches out to the older woman. Her orders, sadly, did not save anyone or herself when a strawberry cake slide in front of her on a nearby table. Letting all of her attention go straight to the cake, Erza reaches out with sparkles in her eyes, only for her world to shatter when a large bolder falls from the sky and crushes the cake.

"My cake…" Erza mutters and collapses to the ground on all fours, a storm cloud appearing right above her head to reflect her depression. Happy flies over to the cage to save Natsu. "Don't worry Natsu! I'll save you!" He was unable to do so as a sudden (illusion) large winged fish with large sharp teeth flies after him, its mouth wide open. "But someone save me first!" he diverts his direction away from Natsu and, instead, heads to the opposite direction. "Seems I have to wait till the storm blows over…" Makarov sighs and sits down in place. "You're not gonna stop this!?" Lucy screams when a sudden piece of wood lands right next to her.

"This is a tradition Avery pulls all the times," he shrugs as he takes his pipe out. Mirajane walks up to them unscathed, explaining, "Every time Avery returns from an S-class mission, she would prepare a whole new brand of pranks on everyone. That's why no one is prepared whenever she comes home. She and Azul always put them up without anyone noticing." "Ahahaha! We did it Azul! The best prank of the century!" Avery laughs as the two hover above the chaos. "Yes ma'am! Mission accomplished!" they both high five and grin at their accomplishment.

With all that he had, Natsu grabs the bars and tries his best to melt the metal as best as he could.

-Back To Me-

I float there as I proudly gaze down at our work until a few hot droplets of metal drop to the floor in front of me. I look up and then turn pale when Natsu, who melted the bars and escapes, dives down towards me with a devious smile. I push Azul away in time as Natsu grabs me and pulls me into his arms. I tried my best to keep us up in the air, but with the extra wait it's impossible to stay up in the air. "Waaaah!" I screech as we both plummet back down to the ground. That wasn't what I was worried about. Right below us was one of those traps which were even more hilarious than the others, and this one is ten times more embarrassing than the others combined.

"Natsu let me go! If you don't we'll both-", it was already too late for us. As we both hit the floor, a bright light blinds everyone in the building and stops them from what they were doing. When the light dims down, Natsu and I stood there blushing as we froze in place. "Transvestite marriage…" I mutter. I wore the suit while Natsu over here had the wedding gown. "Hahahahahahahaha!" Now it was just me and Natsu being laughed at, mostly Natsu though. "Wow…! You actually look good in that!" Lucy gasps in disbelief at the sight of me. I look down at my garments, "Really…? It really feels weird to wear something only men wear..."

Natsu, on the other hand, gets laughed at by the men. Gray pats Natsu with a mocking smile, "You make a good bride Natsu! If someone was blind enough to marry you!" "Errr... Uruse!" All of us girls sweat drop at the large blast of fire hitting all of the guys in the other half of the guild. "Well there goes Natsu..." Azul laughs nervously as most of us girls watch the guild erupt in their usual brawls. "Ah that's right! I almost forgot one thing! Azul c'mon!" Right after I dashed off out of the guild doors, Azul sat there staring at my back in confusion then remembered as well. "Wait Avery! I want to give Happy mine first!" I hear her cry behind my back.

++Later On++

A large stack of presents were placed right in the center of the guild. "Ta da~!" Everyone awes in amazement as Azul dove in head first into the stack, moving around in search for whatever she wanted to give to the love of her life. "So many presents! Whose are these for?" Lucy asks. Avery flashes a cheeky grin and puts her arms behind her back, "I got at least three presents for each person in the guild for every birthday I missed! And for every new guild member whose joined over the past three years gets only one present as a welcome gift! Natsu didn't tell me their birthdays so I just got one!"

Everyone cheered at this. "That's Av for ya!" Natsu gloats, pumping his firey fist up. With Happy to agree as well, "Aye sir!" "Seeing how excited everyone was made me feel really proud of myself for doing all this, for three years I've planned this and all that hard work in getting them the perfect gift was worth it. "Well what are you waiting for? Go get your presents guys!" I don't know what I just did, but whatever I said caused the entire guild to go into chaos again, this time it wasn't what I had intended to happen. Many of them were starting to fight over the gifts while others tried to keep what belongs to them at the same time.

"Hey give that back!" Natsu immediately punches Gray, sending the flying naked boy over my head. I wince once he crashes and turn away blushing in embarrassment when I see his clothes floating down in front of me. 'Even when attacked he strips... Maybe it was a bad idea to take his underwear...' I shake my head to stop myself from blushing, trying my best not to look in Gray's direction. Good thing he hasn't noticed yet that he's in his birthday suit. Soon I found myself floating over a large battle field, objects being broken and people getting their own bones broken in the process.

As much as I am used to seeing them brawl with one another, I had not planned for this to happen! "Um..." I put my fist over my chest as I worriedly gaze around the guild. Makarov intervenes after finally having enough of their shenanigans. We all jump in fear when a large giant fist slams on the ground, causing almost everyone to hit the ceiling from the intense force. "Enough! Everyone get your perspective gifts in an orderly fashion! Avery has worked hard in getting you those gifts for you all, so stop fighting and get your presents!" I smirk at the master's usual blunt manner on disciplining everyone.

I flew over and picked up exactly three presents with the old man's name on them, went to him and, as the usual tradition, gave him a peck on his forehead. "Arigatou jii-san!" I smile at him, earning a tiny blush from him. I don't really understand why, but Natsu and Gay suddenly rush up to my side and pull me away from Makarov, heatedly glaring at him as I stood in-between them in confusion. Now that the heat has cooled down in the guild, I can finally watch all of my friends happily as each and every one of them open up their gifts, smiling in amusement every time someone lifts up what I got them in amazement.

"All of this fish is for me!?" Happy drools at the sight of the three gigantic fish monsters that Azul forced me to get for her. She tried to get it herself when we were taking a short break during our mission, but by the time she came back to me for help Azul was soaking wet from either drool or water. I almost suggested to her when all of us were heading home that we should eat one of the fishes, except Azul kept giving me the 'face'. (A/N: Which is just a very deep frown and big eyes filled with disappointment.) Azul blushes and tries to act all innocent infront of him, "I worked very hard in keeping this fresh for you Happy... I'm so glad you like them!"

I sweat drop with a small smile on my lips to see how many hearts were floating around Azul, Happy completely ignoring this and continues to drool at the fish. "Sugoi! This dress isn't even out until winter! I can't I got thee Heavenly Wings dress made by Averilia Wingheart herself! She personally makes the dresses herself, no other designers can copy the perfect style she makes!" Lucy exclaims in amazement as she dances around with the simple white dress in her hands. It was a simple non-sleeved with the skirt spread out a bit only up to above knee level, and a simple white ribbon wrapped around the waist with a small gold bow on the side.

After all the stuff Natsu told me about her, including his exaggerated story about Macao's rescue from those perverted apes, I figured something like this would make the best welcome gift. Natsu spots this and walks up to my said saying out loud, "Isn't that the dress may by A-" I immediately shove my present in Natsu's face, just to shut him up for that one second to hide my secret from. "Swords are fine..." Erza drops the two cool weapons I had got her on the table, then lifts up big strawberry cake, "but a legendary velvet strawberry cake is something I cannot ignore!"

Erza isn't that hard if you know her by heart, weapons and outfits are easy, it's the one thing she loves so much that will make her really happy. And it's also to make up for destroying a slice in her face. "What's this? No way! A ninja mask!" Natsu cheers as he pulls it out of the small box, flashing it off to anyone nearby to see it. I chuckles at his enthusiasm but apologized, "Sorry Natsu... I tried to get you the whole set knowing how much you love ninja's... I was only able to get you the mask instead." I suddenly felt a hand ruffle my hair for a brief moment, stops but never leaves my head even as I look up at Natsu.

He flashes his trademark toothy grin and says, "Daijoubu Av! This is awesome! You're the best!" I blush at this and start laughing as Natsu ruffles my hair even more, putting his arm around my shoulder as we flash each other mirroring goofy smiles.

-Lucy-

I smile at the two as they both continued to laugh at one another, Natsu wrapping his arm over her shoulder and both grin as he does so. I sigh and rest my chin on my hand, "Those two are really close... makes me a little jealous... At least I can see why Natsu and Gray fight so much." Mirajane happens to hear me, stating, "They've always been like that ever since Avery first arrived at the guild- she's the reason why they fully started their rivalry." "I'm a little surprised though! Who knew that Natsu could have a crush on someone!" I said in amazement.

Knowing how dense Natsu can be, it was surprising to know Natsu understood what ACTUAL love is- unless he simplyt doesn't want his rival to be with his best friend. She chuckles then leans in to whisper into my ear, "Actually... there's been a rumor Gray already confessed to Avery... but was turned down immediately after 10 seconds..." I jaw drop at the information and quickly glued my eyes on the orange haired girl, who was briefly laughing at what Natsu was saying to her before spotting me and smiles at me. Mirajane smiles back with a wave.

"Actually," her smile turns as she watches the two, "she's been going out a lot on missions even when she was a kid. The past three years she was gone was the longest ever...When Avery left, she left telling us and not Natsu and Happy. Every day he would wait at the guild doors for her, made sure no one sat in her seat, and visited her shack to see if she was home. Only after one year she we got a package with a strange communicator lacrima and has used it to talk with us whenever she has the free time during her mission. One for the guild itself, one for Warrod who requested it for his gift, one for Azul, and the last two is personally for Natsu and Gray only. But even though she's happy to talk to us, I could tell the loneliness she felt to be away from home, missing out on a lot and never getting the chance to be with us."

I look back at the two and finally noticed this as well, no matter how much she smiled or laugh she would sadly lean her head on Natsu's shoulder every now and then so the other's wouldn't see.

-Normal-

Gray almost broke the table when he saw those two together, jealousy boiling up inside him as Gray watches the fire dragon slayer wrap his arm over Avery's shoulder. "Tch!" He turned his back on the two then rips open his three presents without thinking, and as soon as he is about to glare down at what he got he is taken aback at the three in his hands. The clothes were weird, but what he couldn't stop staring at the silver ring on his palm. Too embarrassed to ask Avery herself, I decided to confront Azul instead. "Hey Azul," he walks up to the two cats as they both dine in their fish meal. "Mm?" she hums, still shoving the large head of the fish in her mouth.

He bites his lip then reluctantly asks, showing the ring to her, "Who's idea was it to get this ring?" Azul stares down at the ring, swallows, and answers, "Avery saw it through the window of the jewelry shop in the town we passed by during our trip back! She said, 'This has Gray's name written all over it! He'd love to wear this!' or something like that." He blushes at the idea and stared back down at the ring. Grinning, Gray holds the ring in a fist while muttering, "That girl knows me too well..." "Oh and another thing," she stares blankly straight at him now naked chest. "The clothes are just in case you strip out in the open again." I blink for a second then looked down.

"Uwaaaah!" yells the naked ice wizard as he immediately threw the clothes on, searching around the floor for his own. 'She knows me too well!' his thoughts scream at the back of his mind in embarrassment.

-Back to Me-

Everyone got the exact gift I thought they would like;

Natsu- a ninja mask, the piece of the monster I slayed, and a new travelling backpack (which I made myself)  
Happy- three different fishes from Azul.  
Gray- two spare outfits incase he strips again without knowing and a silver ring  
Lucy- a dress  
Erza- two swords from a very skilled blacksmith (who was a strange perverted bird-like creature and a velvety strawberry cake.  
Elfman- brass knuckles,  
Cana- three crates of different wines and beers.  
Levy- Three novels  
Macao- a pillow with his favorite idol on it (not Mirajane), a copy of an unreleased issue of weekly sorcerer, and a coat made from the monster's fur that I slayed on the way here.  
Romeo- a book on fire magic and (under his request) an orange scarf  
Loke- New sunglasses, a suit, and hair gel (Well he wanted it...)  
Reedus- three new magical paint brushes  
Bisca and Alzack- three new guns (plus a 'How to pick up a girl' book for Alzack)  
Max- all be wanted was a new stand made from special wood and something to protect his butt. He said during the brawls there's something weird that always happens to him at the end, the rest he just didn't want to talk about.  
Warrod- only wanted my communicator lacrima. I had a spare from my reward so I gave one our of the four to him.  
Laxus- ?  
_Raijinshū team_\- I tried my best, but I only got three fairy-like out fits for Evergreen, three wooden puppets that look like the ones that always float around him, and Freed... uh... let's just say I found something out about him that I shouldn't have. (I asked Mirajane to keep hold of them for now since they're not present, again)  
Wakaba- three new smoking pipes (one I had magically made to only make him inhale only vapor)  
Vijeetar- three new dance suits  
Nab- three reserved job requests I know only he can do.  
Jet and Droy- (embarrassingly) only wanted hand made dolls of Levy.  
Loke - some weird looking underwear he asked me to make.

Most of these were hard to make, especially Vijeetar! I sometimes forget he ever existed since all he does is do weird dances around the guild, and not to mention the time he performed his 'surprise' dance in front of my on my birthday. "With Avery back there's one thing left to do... PARTY!" I suddenly felt myself being lift off the ground right after Makarov made the sudden party announcement. I squeal in surprise, "Guys put me down! Ahahahaha! Drinks are on me if you put me down!" As soon as I was finally put back down on the ground, I felt myself being tackled from behind.

"Avery save me! Azul is going nuts again!" Happy pleads for help as he hides behind my back in fear. "Happy~! Avery have you seen Happy? I was about to give him a kiss but he ran off on me!" she tells me. I felt Happy tense up and he clung to my back in fear. I sweat drop thinking, 'This girl is relentless!' "Actually I think saw him fly over to Natsu!" I lied, earning a quiet sigh of relief from Happy. "Thank you!" and Azul takes off. Happy peeks over my shoulder before flying out with a long sigh of relief to know he was off the hook, for now at least.

I put my hands on my hips and said, "Happy! You really should give Azul a chance for once! She's been after you ever since she was born! Literally!" "Yeah but... Azul is really crazy at times... and besides! How can I like someone that constantly stalks me!" he points out. "You have a point..." I mutter, completely understanding how bad Azul's crush from Happy is. "Listen," I place my hand on his shoulder, "sooner or later she'll have to know how you truly feel." Happy glances down at the floor below him for a second to think on this, but before he had the chance to answer, Azul appears out of nowhere and tackles the blue cat.

"Happy~!" she squeals. "Ah! Stop! Someone please save me!" Happy lets out one final cry as Azul continues to smother him to death. I stare at the two with an expressionless face then sigh in defeat. "Av!" I turn around and almost fell back as both Natsu and Gray run up to my face and request, "Please have a spar with me!" "Eh...!?" Before I could get the chance to answer, I suddenly felt them booth hook their arms on mine on both sides and found myself being dragged out of the guild. "Um... guys? You do know how much I hate fighting my own nakama, right?" I remind the two with a nervous smile as I watch the two stretch in preparation for the 'spar'.

And their meaning of sparring is a full out fight till only one left standing, and in this case I'm usually the one that wins. I got into position, but not before making sure one last time, "Natsu, Gray... are you really sure you want to do this? You do remember the wager you guys made up if you lost..." Natsu pumps his fist in the air as roars, "There's no way I'm gonna lose to you again Av! I've been training a lot just for this day! This time you'll be the one to lose by my hand!" I sweat drop at this and exclaim, "Isn't this just a sparring match!?" Gray prepares himself as well and smirks, "Don't think ash-breath here will take all the glory! I've trained as well Avery... I'm ten times stronger than the last time we fought!"

"That's why! This is supposedly only a spar! You guys always take things too seriously again!" I flail my hands around as I puff my cheeks at the way they were reacting again. I sigh then flash a serious glare at them, wind already surrounding my fist as I urged the two, "I see then. Come at me then with all you got." "Hehehe..." the two of them grin at this, still feeling confident in their possible victory in this match. Though I still think of this as a sparring match- since that's what this technically is anyway- I'll go easy on them again like I usually do.

Me: Reinhart's definition of 'going-easy' is simply beating the crap out of them until they can't move.  
Azul: Isn't that what she usually does to all her enemies? *sweatdrops*  
Me: No no no! She just breaks their bones! With Natsu and Gray or any of her friends, she simply 'bruises' them a bit.

"Karyu no-"  
"Ice make-"

I prepare to dodge their upcoming until- "Oww!" I watch as instead of hitting me like they wanted to happen- due to both of them charging at the same time in the same direction, they ended up colliding each other without even getting as 8 feet closer to where I was standing. "What do you think you're doing bastard!?" Natsu yells at Gray as he punches him in the face. Gray punches his rival back and yells, "Me!? You were the one that hit me first flame brain!" That cut the end to the extremely short sparring match, and in the end I just stood there waiting until both of them collapsed onto the ground after knocking each other out.

I put my hand on my hip as I huff at the results, smiling at their usual antics, "This is why I wanted to make sure! You guys always end up fighting each other instead of me." No one really bothered to watch us as all of us already expected the outcome of this- sure I've actually fought with these two at the start when they began to request for these so-called sparring matches, they soon got to the point where their magic would collide and end up hitting one another instead. "Guess it can't be helped..." There is only one way to get them up their feet. Mirajane told me that this only works with the two when I do it to them.

Going on my knees, I close my eyes and pecked both of them on the cheek. In a matter of seconds, I already found myself entrapped by the two as they automatically hugged me, arguing with each other again once they laid eyes on each other. (A/N: Avery is about 4 inches above Gray's shoulder and a bit with Natsu.) "Let go!" Gray yells, pulling me close o his chest. "No you let go!" Natsu yells back as I felt me face slam against his chest as well. I blush as tried my best to keep a straight face, thinking, 'Gray better not have stripped his shirt off again... better yet all of his clothes!'

Natsu I can stand since I know he doesn't wear a shirt- with Gray is an entirely different story.

-Lucy-

I deadpan at the sight as I watch through the window as Natsu and Gray openly fight over Avery in front of the guild, earning odd stares from every single person or couple that passes by. "Those three having another spar again?" Erza asks me as she walks over to my side to watch the three. "That's a spar!?" I jaw drop. She nods then goes back to smile at the three, "Its been a while since I've seen those three like that. Those two may have changed, but their feelings for Avery always makes them revert back to their old selves." I sweat drop thinking, 'Aren't those two always like that...?'

I do have to agree with Erza on one thing, even though those two always fight, I can clearly see the change in attitude towards one another now that I see Avery in the picture. There's just something about her I can't put my finger on it.

-Erza-

There hasn't been a day where I haven't missed seeing those three like that- the all to familiar innocent smile on Avery's face as she quietly stays in-between the two boys. Both didn't noticed they were crushing her until she then pretends to pass out. I chuckle at their response when it happened, she played dead for a few minutes as the two began to panic and try to wake her up. Only when she started to giggle did they realize they've been played with. 'Things haven't changed...' my thoughts sigh as the two of us continued to watch them, a familiar sense of nostalgia washing over me the longer.

+3 Years Ago+

Avery ducks at Natsu and Gray punched each other square in the face, already fighting again right as soon as they both ran up to the girl's side. "What do you think you're doing droopy-eyes...?" Natsu snarls at Gray, digging his fist into his face. Gray glares at his rival and answers in a threatening type of tone, "I was just about to hang out with _my_ friend flame brain... It's not like as if she's your property...!" I grab their heads and slammed them both together, already having enough of their usual qualms. "You both are really starting to annoy me now! I swear I can't take my eyes off you once you both are around Avery..." I sigh in annoyance as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Don't be so harsh on them Erza! It's their way of bonding, ne?" the way she smiled at me was just too- "I honestly don't understand how you do it," I said out loud. Avery tilts her head to the side in confusion and asks, "Do what?" "You hang out with the biggest knuckleheads in the guild and you still stay innocent for this long! I can't even stand a day without wanting to punch them." She thinks on this for a second then answers, "Cause that's who they are Erza! No matter how much you try to change them, they'll always act like they do no matter how hard you want them to change. Besides! Don't we both love them like that?"

"Love!?" Natsu and Gray instantly shot up and ran over to Avery, which caught us both of us off guard as the two began to rush up to Avery, shoving each other till the confront Avery about it. She panics, trying to figure out the right words to explain what she meant, "Y-You se-see I was just! Uh...!" I shook my head and turned away from the three, an amused smile on my lips thinking, 'You need to be careful with that word from now on... I think it triggers something inside them...'

+Present+  
-Back to Me-

The party, more like a drinking fest, lasted longer than I had expected. I would have loved to try drinking for once, but everyone- and surprisingly Cana- told me not to drink until I turn eighteen. And Cana started drinking at around fourteen! "Uh... Avery?" After helping someone who got half of his body stuck in a barrel, I turn around to face Lucy only to see her holding up Azul by the tail and saw the cat sleeping happily as she tightly held Happy- who seemed to have passed out from the struggle in trying to escape Azul. Poor guy never made it in the end.

"I'll take those two and Natsu back to his place," I said as I took the two out of her hands. "His place is a bit close to where I live anyway." "What about the others?" Lucy wonders as she scans around the mess, concerned on leaving everyone alone. Most especially how Erza had her head, literally, was stuck inside her cake. Either someone hit her from behind which caused her to pass out, which I find unlikely to happen, or passed out from happiness after eating too much cake. "It's fine! They'll wake up soon. Now than-" I lift Natsu up and held the two cats close to my chest. "-I better get going now before it gets too dark. Natsu would hate it if he knew I went out this late 'weak' and defenseless they way he puts it."

Just as I was about to leave, Lucy takes a step forward to say, "Thank you for everything! Not just for the present... but for welcoming me so warmly and accepting me in the team!" I look over at her and flash her a smile- "What are you talking about? You're already a part of the team!"

||My Place||

I collapsed onto my hammock in exhaustion after a long day of partying, my body feeling heavier than before as I stared up at the starry night sky. "Home hasn't changed a bit..." I sigh in relief. I thought that after three years things would be different by now, but the only thing that's different are the new shops in town. Guess Natsu and the others had something to do with that. Azul had to stay over at Nastu and Happy's place since she had a tight hold on her crush, leaving me all at home just like back then. Back when I held a strong hatred for humans. I put my arms over my eyes as I mutter out loud, "Either way... I'm all alone again..."

Whenever I'm alone, I would fall back in to depression and remember those days where I only had Reisswind in my life. Now she's gone. Natsu gave me a small bit of hope that she may still be alive. It's just- I can't stop blaming myself for what happened. And leaving the guild without saying a word makes it ten times worse. "You really need to stop leaving my side." I gasp when I felt my arm being lifted up, staring straight into those familiar sharp onyx eyes. Natsu hovers over me a bit as he gazes down at me with displeased look in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you to tell me when you're going home?" he reminds me, lowering his body closer tomine.

"You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up so-" I laid stiff in place petrified as Natsu puts his head next to mine. "I don't want you to leave me again..." Natsu words were muffled as he buries his head into my pillow, but I heard him loud and clear. I couldn't tell whether he was talking about that day three years ago or now. I pat his head and apologized, "Sorry Natsu... I really am... I thought that if I left you'd be less sad... I don't want to hurt you if I said goodbye..." "Moron!" I was taken a back by his sudden change of tone. Natsu lifts himself to look back down at me straight in the eye, saying, "I'd miss you even more! Don't do things on your own Av... I know you. You always think of others before yourself...!"

He's always been such a worry wart. I know he has every good reason to be since this isn't the first time I left the guild without saying anything, it's just the last time I left was the most emotional time for everyone. And I just left him behind like that. I raise a hand and placed it on Natsu cheek, reassuring him, "Don't worry Natsu... I'll never do that to you and everyone else again... I'll make sure to tell you next time when I leave again..." Natsu sits up and grabs me by the shoulder, forcing me to sit up as well as he looks at me straight in the eye, entirely shocked to hear this. "You're leaving again!?"

I panic at his reaction to this so came up with the best lie possible, "No! Of course not! I was just saying if I were to ever go out on a mission again- I'd tell you!" Skeptical if I was telling the truth or not, Natsu pulls me into a hug and rests his chin on the top of my head. "Liar... You've always sucked at lying..." he whispers. I was at a loss of words on what to say to him, even if I told him the truth it would still hurt him. No matter how hard I tried to hold it back, tears began to fall down my cheeks as I lean my head against his chest. I mutter as a small smile crosses my lips, "You're just too good at telling if anyone is lying..."

Natsu starts to finally joke around, "No you just suck! Even Happy is better at lying than you!" I playfully shove him back and defend myself, "I do not! You're the one that sucks at lying!" We 'argued' with one another playfully with huge grins on our faces. It got to the point where the two of us ending up laughing for no apparent reason, Natsu suddenly resorts to tickling me much to my surprise. I fell back as Natsu continues to tickle my side. "N-Natsu yamete! Onegai! Ahahaha! I'm ticklish there!" I laugh as he continues to relentlessly tickle my sides.

'Even if things have changed... my friends have gotten stronger since the last time I saw them... and there are still many things in the world I want to see... with you.' When Natsu stops tickling me, he stares down at me happily as I try to catch my breath from all that constant laughing, smiling up at him tiredly. "Welcome home," he greets. I tearfully smile as I grin up at him, "I'm back!" We both laid next to each other after as we watch the starry sky above us, finally coming to a complete conclusion- that I do not suck at lying. I look over at Natsu who was eyeing the large hole in the ceiling.

"Natsu?" "Didn't we fix this before?" he asks, referring to the time back when everyone first came over. I glance to the side and nervously smile as I answer, "Yeah... you did..."

::Memory::  
_Six years ago_

_"Hey Avery look at what I found!" Azul flies over to me, stumbling a bit a she tries to carefully come in through the window. She's still trying to get used to flying- every time she does she would sky rocket straight past the direction she wants to and I have to be the to chase after her. Azul hands over a bouquet of odd looking flowers at me. I was fixing the side of the shack after some random stranger decided to pass by and decided to trash only that certain spot. I can tell the person was drunk when he came here, seeing as there was about 16 bottles of beer lying all over the ground outside when we woke up._

_I took the flowers to flowers and study them as I brought them closer to take a closer look. "What is this- ACHOOOO!" The moment I sniffed it, my nose felt itchy on the inside and I ended up sneezing. And it wasn't a normal human sneeze. I accidentally sneezed out a tornado that rose up and struck the ceiling of the shack, leaving a big large hole- the exact same spot where the original opening was. I sweat drop as I gave Azul back the flowers, "Don't tell the others what happened..." Azul nods in agreement, takes the flowers and tosses them into the chimney, saying, "Don't worry... I think this something that should be kept secret after the hard work the put into this place..."_

::End of Memory::

'It was hard to keep it from Natsu since he and Happy always came over to visit...' I was brought out of my thought when Natsu, much to my embarrassment, flips around on top of me. I blush at this and try to shake the boy. "Natsu? Oi Natsu...!" I stop shaking him when I suddenly heard a light snore next to my ear. I silently scream as my thought cry out in utter shock, 'He fell asleep!?' My heart was racing now. Earlier, I was fine with Natsu earlier when he was on top of me, ticking me, and had his face almost inches apart from mine when we were lying next to each other. But having him sleep next to me this close now feels... strange and somehow much more.

I tried to shake this odd feeling off as I thought, 'No! I already know he still thinks about Lisanna... He's my best friend! Right...?' I turn my head to the left to look straight at Natsu, who was still snoring and was shifting a bit closer to me until our noses touched. I tried to scoot a bit and kiss Natsu on the forehead, whispering, "Good night... Natsu..."

-Natsu-

+Next Morning+

"Mmmm..." I groan as the stupid sunlit hit my face, slowly waking up expecting to see Avery by my side as my eyes adjusted to the light. When I saw she wasn't there, I shot up and panic as I screamed, "AV!" I immediately jumped out of the hammock and rushed out the door then straight into town. Her scent was faint, but I can still smell her. "She better not have left! Not again!" Completely ignoring the chaos I was causing in the streets, I continued to follow her path until- "Natsu?" My eyes widen in shock as I skid on the ground before coming to a complete stop, turning around to see Avery with Happy and Azul in her arms.

All three eyed me weirdly as I stood there trying to catch my breath, gaping in disbelief at what's going on. She smiles at me innocently as she questions me, "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be saving your energy for when we go out on a mission together?" I tighten a fist then let it go as I walk up to her. Avery watches me curiously then yelps in surprise as I pull her into a tight hug. "Um... Natsu? You okay?" she asks me, confused. I chuckled thinking, 'And they say I'm the dense one!' I let her go and wrap my arm over her shoulder, ruffling her hair as I grin down at her, "N-O-T-H-I-N-G...! Just glad you're still here!"

Avery pushes my hand off her head and pouts, saying, "I told you before! I'll say goodbye if I ever go on a mission! When I keep my promises I never break them! Unlike someone I know...!" She stuck her tongue out and runs past me, leaving me behind. I watch her as she stops for a second, extends one hand out to reveal... my belt!? I looked down and immediately turned red as I caught sight of my pants dropped down on the floor. All three of them start laughing at this. She left the two cats go, Happy holding my belt as they both fly up into the air. "Run guys!" I hear her scream in delight as she runs away from me.

"Aye sir! You can count on us!" Happy salutes as he flies away. Azul freezes then goes after him, "Wait for me Happy!" "Happy you traitor! You'll pay for this!" I pulled me pants up as I charge after her in fiery anger, "Hey get back here! You'll pay for that Av!"

-Back to Me-

I burst out laughing as I start to lift off away from the ground, flying a bit faster while Natsu behind my back starts to catch up to me bit by bit. "Can't catch me!" I tease the older boy. At the back of my mind I though as I continued to laugh, 'It's really good to be home! No matter what's changed over the past three years, my family is still here. Waiting for me. And when I come back they'll always be there to welcome me back! I won't ever leave my family, not now and forever!'

-Normal-

A fair distance away from Magnolia, a girl around Avery's age stood in place as she watches the two from where she is. She had a brown cloak on and had her hood on, preventing any one from seeing the dark intent she had in her dark blue eyes. "Avery Reinhart... enjoy you little family while it lasts..." the stranger mutters as she disappears from the spot, leaving only a single scale behind. Much similar to the dragon scale Avery wore at all times.

**To Be Continued**

**Some of these pranks really happened back in middle school XD My friend and I had a prank war that went on for about a year until I had to move away. I'm surprised we never got in trouble! XD Now someone asked me why is the spells like Ice-make and reequip in English and not Japanese like the Dragon slayer magic so far. Well if you think about it with Gray... they just say 'Ice-make' something in English anyway. With a Japanese accent of course. 'Kanso!' is just as short as reequip so there's not much difference if you think about it. But I'll make sure to add some simple Japanese so I won't have to translate it much like, 'kuso', 'baka', 'teme', urusai, and etc. I'll even put the usual honors in it since I like the idea of Romeo call Natsu 'Natsu-niisan'! :) It's just so cute they way he says it! I'm not really an English dub fan since... well lets just say I'm more used to the Japanese dub a lost more than the English dub. So I tried my best to picture Natsu being a little 'romantic' here... but that popped up in my head was Amnesia! DX  
**

**Me: Man it's been almost 3 years since I first came up with this idea... now finally, as a matured writer, can finally make the magic happen! Still having problems with typos... but still glad!  
Av: And I'm now I'm not a shrimp anymore! Hahaha!  
Me: I do find one thing weird now... I'm older than you guys!  
Av: What!? No way! I'm 16!  
Me: And I'm 17.  
Av:...  
Me: You're not the only one younger okay! Cat from the FMA department is still 15. It's so strange now... I found Cat when I was 11 and I got you when I was 14. Man time sure flies...  
Av: Either that or you're just lazy.  
Me: *Glares*  
Av: Don't look at me like that! That Catherine girl is the one who told me to call you that!  
Me: I'll get her for that later... anyway time for the usual trivia question! Now I know people already know the answer to these questions cause it's been ages since the actual show of Fairy Tail first started. But I like to see those who remember each and every episode by heart! That's why I didn't make Scarlet do much action with the Erigor case cause if you think about it, she could have easily over powered him and the Lullaby would have never transformed in the area it was supposed to go.  
Av: Ah I see! So if I was able to beat the shit out of him back in the train or the station then the Lullaby...  
****Me: Would attack the town they were in and not near clover town. Now then- Reinhart if you please!  
Av: ...Why is Mirajane so useless at the start!?  
****Me&amp;Av: Jiiiii...  
Av: *tears it up*  
Me: Don't just rip it!  
Av: What are the names of the minor characters that you know have no importance in the show? Only name three who have the most ridiculous names to remember.  
Me: That's even ruder than the one you tore up! *sigh*... Anyway, I do not own Fairy Tail! All rights belong to Hiro Mashima-sensei! I only own Avery Reinhart, Azul, and many more OC's to come!  
Av: Thank you for all the support you've given us so far! We hope our journey continues to be filled with fun and adventure for everyone to enjoy!  
Me: Please R&amp;R! Also follow me on twitter ( averyscarlet1) for any announcements of upcoming chapters or see any random tweets on my page!  
Me&amp;&amp;Av: See ya on the next chapter!  
Av: Things seem normal... thank goodness... Wait- Natsu and Erza are gonna fight!? Where are you taking her? She didn't do anything you old farts! She just saved everyone from death! Next time on winds of hope- Erza's Arrest! That man with the tattoo on his eye... he's not who he says he is...**


	7. Chapter 6

_~Av's Intro~_

_'I won't ever let anyone hurt my nakama!_

_Over my dead body! Lay a finger on them..._

_and I swear you'll never see the light of day again!_

_Don't touch them... stay away... I won't let_

_any of you take them away from me again!_

* * *

**_~Chapter 6 - What it means to protect~_**

-Me-

'Natsu was acting really weird yesterday... I wonder,' I took out the request paper from my pocket and stared down at it with an intense gaze. 'He seemed really persistent about it too... which is really odd considering its Natsu. The only things I know he can be persistent about is taking missions together, food, fighting... food.'

+Yesterday+

"AV!" Azul and I were just about to leave the guild when both Natsu and Happy suddenly come charging at us. "Natsu what-" I suddenly found a request form being shoved in front of my face.

"I found this mission request asking for you! You really should go!"  
"Eh? That's fine but-"  
"No buts! You need to go TODAY!"  
"Aye! It's uh... very important mission only you can do Avery!"

I was taken aback at this. Still unsure, I took the piece of paper in my hands and glanced at Azul in confusion, who looked back at me with the same look and shrugged. He turns me around and starts to push my back. "Alright good luck and have fun!" Natsu exclaims. Happy does so as well with Azul, "A-Aye! Don't forget the last time you guys didn't take an emergency mission! You both should really get going!"

+Present+

"Happy Happy~" Azul sings to herself in my arms. I chuckle at this and ask the obvious, "Isn't there anything else on your mind besides Happy!" She huffs, "Hmph! My love life has nothing to do with you Avery! There's no way you'd understand, especially not even noticing their feelings for you!" What does she mean by that? "What are you talking about Azul?" I ask, completely lost at what she was talking about. "See what I mean?" Azul looks up at me in irritation. "You've called them your best friends for years now and you haven't even once noticed their feelings for you! They always fight for you! Trying to earn your attention!" I ponder on this for a second.

There wasn't really anyone that comes into mind except for Jet and Droy, they always act like that around Levy whenever something is brought up between the two. I don't even know anyone else that fights for something like that in the guild. "You mean Jet and Droy?" I answer the cat, a little bit unsure if I got it right. Azul jaw drops at my answers, like as is it was the most obvious thing and it just flew over my head. "NO! How can you be so dense!?" Azul huffs in defeat. "Ok here's a clue… one tries his best not to strip around you but always has no shirt on and the other is really touchy."

It wasn't really that hard guess with the most obvious descriptions she gave me now. "Nab and Makarov," I blurt out. "How the heck can it be them!?" This is getting me nowhere at the way this was going. I pointed out the facts, "Nab is practically shirtless all the time and Ojii-san always touches the girls' butts whenever he gets the chance behind Ezra's back." Although it is true about Makarov. One time I caught him trying to pat one of the girl's butts once. Speaking of Jet and Dory, as we were chatting, the two appeared from around the corner and were heading towards the guild like we are. "Jet! Droy!" I call out and rush up to the two.

They freeze at my presence, sweating nervously we both looked in between where Levy usually is. "Where's Levy? Don't you two usually follow her every single moment of her life?" I joke. They continued to look at me oddly, making me and Azul to glance down at one another in confusion. "Hellooooo~! Anyone in there!? Avery just said-" Right in the middle of the conversation, Jet and Droy started to panic and ran off, leaving the two of us behind as the wind passes by. "-hi… What the heck?" "Probably they rushed over to Levy?" I suggested, unsure as to what just happened.

Just when we thought things wouldn't get any weirder- we came across Macao and Romeo, who were heading towards the guild just like we are. Romeo looked really excited and kept ranting to his dad on whatever it is that's got him so pumped this early in the morning. I got closer and I swore I heard, "-and I know for sure that he'll win this fight!" "Who'll win what fight?" I spoke up. Macao freezes on the spot- the same reaction we got earlier from Levy's fan boy's. Romeo, on the other hand, turns around and smiles at me excitedly, "Avery-nee! Azul! Ohayo!" "Ohayo," I greet back with a warm smile.

"You seem excited. What's up?" Azul asks. "Didn't you hear? Natsu-nii and Erza are-" Romeo was interrupted by Macao when the man covers the little boys mouth before he could finish. "I-It's nothing Avery! Romeo's just a little excited to see them! You know how he is about Natsu. Hahahaha…" he laughs nervously, backing away inch by inch as we both eye him suspiciously. "Hm?" I knew something was wrong here, and I'm gonna find out what it is. Romeo slips out of his dad's grasp, arguing with the man, "What are you talking about dad!? Natsu and Erza are gonna fight today remember!?"

I felt my world shatter all around me as Romeo's words echoed in my mind. "Fight… you say…?" I mutter, still trying to register what I just heard. "Crap…!" Macao curses under his breathe then raises his hand up, a purple magic circle appears and then purple flames were fired at the ground. I back away and used my magic to blow out the burning purple flames that blocked my view only to see Macao running away with his son over his shoulders, leaving the two of us to figure out what just happened, again.

"I wonder what's up with them… the only few reasons why they would act like this is if they have something planned for us or…" Azul trails off at the end of her sentence, gazing at one another straight in the eye. I tear my eyes off her and glare in the direction the two ran off too, finishing, "Are having an actual fight." And it's not one of their usual brawls. When I mean fight- I mean fighting till the other collapses in the worst state possible. Above our heads, Happy flies over us and was carrying… a sack of cash? Azul see's this and squeals with hearts flying around, "Good morning Happy~!"

I expected Happy to run away in fear at the sound of Azul's voice, which happens on a daily basis- what I didn't expect was for him to scream in fear when he sees me. "WAAAAHH! DON'T COME TO THE GUILD!" screams the blue cat. Azul turns pale, her eyes white and her jaw hanging down- heartbroken at Happy's cruelty towards her (is what she thinks just happened to her). Azul came to the conclusion, "Ok something is up and I want to know what it is!"

-Gray-

As we rush towards the guild to watch the fight between Erza and Natsu, I came to an immediate stop at the sudden brush of strong wind behind my back. Lucy stops and asks, "What's wrong?" I made a fist, now remembering the one most important thing. "Listen Lucy," I start. "Make sure not to tell Avery about the fight. At all costs make sure she doesn't find out!" I immediately start running, Lucy staggers a bit but rushes to catch up to me.

"Why!? It's not like she's not used to you guys fighting! What's the problem if she knows about the fight?"  
"Years ago when we were kids, Natsu challenged Laxus to a fight just like this. Only it didn't even last a minute- Laxus just attacked without caring whether he hurt Natsu or not."  
"What's that gotta do with Avery-san?"  
"She… took the full blow for Natsu."

-Lucy-

I slowed down at the sudden revelation, many images running through my head on what had caused Avery to take the hit for Natsu. I continued to push on the topic, "What happened after that?" Gray gulps nervously but answers me, "I don't really remember much. It all happened in a flash! Since then, she's taken hits for every single one of us. Whether or not it's a match or a mission- Avery jumps in to act as our shield." Now I understand why they don't want Avery to know. She wants to protect everyone from harm, and by the sounds of it she so self-sacrificing that she's willing to hurt herself for them.

'Avery-san is a really kind person… it's no wonder they all missed her so much.' I thought back to that time during the party, how everyone went all over her and relentlessly messed with her, Natsu and Gray both hugging her at the same time fighting on who hangs out with her first, and the way Natsu reacted the day after when he thought she left for a mission. A small sad smile crosses my lips, my respect for her grow for her and having a better understanding of Avery. "Gray, Lucy-" We come to a complete stop when both Avery and Azul lower themselves down in front of us, blocking our path to prevent us from heading to the guild.

"Why is everyone acting so weird?" she demands. The dark aura surrounding her sent shivers down my spine. She almost reminds of me how Erza is like when acting as the guilds' disciplinarian, except ten times worse with how badly she was glaring down at Gray. "Well you see…" Gray glances away from Avery's piercing stare and looks at me for help. "Is there another fight?" we flinch at how harsh her voice was when she mentioned the word 'fight'. "First Jet and Dray," she starts and floats closer to us. "Then Macao and Romeo."

Azul angrily glares at us in tears and complains, "Happy even told me not to go to the guild! Why would he be so mean to me!? After all the nice things I've done for him- he flats out rejects me!" I sweat drop thinking, 'Doesn't usually do that to you…?' "Well?" Aver glowers over us, already getting impatient at our reluctance to answer her back. Gray clicks his teeth and mutters, "Tch…. Sorry Avery…" Before she could react to this, I found gawking in shock to see Avery covered in ice from head to toe. "Ice-make cocoon!" "Gray! What did you do that for!?" I ran over and tried to get her out of the ice case.

He grabs my hand then pulls Azul by the tail, yelling, "We don't have time! We need to get away before Avery escapes! I only froze her long enough for us to get the chance to get as far away as possible!" Azul lands on Gray's head and starts to claw his face. "Stupid! Don't leave Avery like that! Take us back! Let go!"

-Back to Me-

Ten minutes after Gray froze me in place, I slowly made a fist and started to twist around a bit. "Furyu no ranken!" I punched my way out of the ice, shattering the pieces of ice into small snowflakes. "Gray... Why you…" I made a fist then turn to run after the three- my anger quickly subsiding into fear the moment I saw a cloud of smoke rising in the exact same spot the guild should be.

++Later++

Right as soon as I arrived, I spot a large crowd of people standing in front of the Fairy Tail guild. 'Was I too late..?' I pushed myself through the crowd. "Excuse me! I need to get through!" Something seemed off, no one was cheering and there weren't any explosions. The moment I broke through the crowd, I heard this- "Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest!" I froze as everyone else gaps in shock. Erza getting arrested? What for!? Natsu spots me standing in the crowd with my eyes wide open. He quickly walks up to me and nervously smiles, saying, "Av! When did you get back?"

He reaches down to pat my head, but I immediately slap it away and glare at him with tears in my eyes. I gave him a look that said 'I'll deal with you later' and marched on up to the frog, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and demand for answers, "Which member of the magic council ordered this!? And for what reason is Erza being arrested for!?" He glares at me for a second then switched into fear at the sudden realization. "T-Typhoon? When did you arrive back in magnolia!? I was told you wouldn't be back until next year, did you skip out on the mission that was requested?" I peer in closer to his face.

A small smirk crosses my lips now that I know which toad this one is. "Oh? So it's you again… I never thought you'd recover after the last time we met…" Everyone was surprised to see me acting like this. Being in an extremely bad news thanks to Gray for freezing me without warning, I need to let off some steam so I won't end up 'accidentally' take my anger out on Erza and Natsu. I pull the toad's face closer to mine and said, "Listen here… you go back and tell those old farts that whatever Erza is being charged for is a mistake! Because if you don't… you can say good bye to your ability to have kids…"

"As demanding as ever Reinhart," a voice spoke up, accompanied with the sound of clapping a few feet behind my back. I glare over my shoulder and almost felt my inner dragon wanting to come out when I saw who it was. "Lancaster…" I groan, unwillingly dropping the toad on the ground. He panics and hurries to the woman's side. She wore a tight green dress that had an opening cut in between her legs, the upper portion of her dress in black. Her light brown hair was braided into a bun and her piercing yellow eyes glared directly at mine. "Who's Lancaster…?" Lucy whispers to Azul.

She whispers back, "Lancaster once worked with Avery and I on a mission under the request of the magic council… but after we got back- everyone praised the two of us and shunned Lancaster out… I hear even her boyfriend broke up with her because he fell in love with Avery…" "Only for that!?" Lucy exclaims. "What are you doing here?" She grins at my reaction and puts her glasses on, saying, "I was ordered to accompany our messenger in the event you had arrived earlier than expected. I thought it was impossible… but it seems like the council was right." I had to hold back. If I do anything to this woman- Erza won't be the only one to be arrested.

But the idea of Erza being locked up for no good reason was just… wrong! I lift my fist up and prepare to knock the lights out of the irritating woman until- "Don't Avery," Erza stops me as she puts a hand on my shoulder. "If you do anything rash- the council will put charges against the guild for resisting my arrest. I'll go and handle this." "But-!" "Just trust me Avery," the way she smiled at me finally made be stay in my place. "Whose idea was it to fight!?" I demand. Now everyone knows I'm here, and they all were all surprised see me crying in front of Natsu.

There was an eerie silence as I stood in front of him, tears streaming down my cheeks as I kept my arms on my sides. Erza steps up and says something, "It was my-" Natsu stops her and answers, "It was my idea. I was the one who challenged Erza." I felt something crack inside me. I further questioned him, "When…?" He gulps, "Before you arrived…" I bowed my head so my bangs would cover the hurt in my eyes, feeling slightly betrayed that this was kept from me this whole time since I came. And without warning, I knocked Natsu to the ground by upper kicking him in the gut.

He falls back but recovers quickly from the hit, though not fast enough as I stood in front with a fist full of wind. Lucy steps in between up without stretched arms, saying, "Avery-san don't hurt him anymore! All they wanted was to protect you! Natsu and everyone else just wants to prevent what happened between him and Laxus!" I flinch and halt myself from hitting him.

::Flashback::

_"Natsu!" I cry out as I run in between the two. I shut my eyes as the large lightning bolt hit my body, sending a shock wave of pain coursing through my body as I fell to the ground. "Av!" Natsu rushes to my side and carefully picks me up as everyone else surrounds me, all except Laxus- caught off guard at what just happened. "Ow…" I wince in pain, half-opening one eye as I smiled up at the boy. "Be careful next time Natsu… you almost got hit…"_

::Present::

I remember that after that incident, Natsu and everyone else became more protective of me every time something like that happened. They even gone as far as to keep it a secret from me if a fight as serious as this happens. "Avery-san…" I lift my head to see Lucy still standing in between us, slightly fearful on what I was going to do next. I lower my fist and passed the blonde, patting her shoulder in a reassuring manner as I walk up to Natsu. He sits there about to say something back at me but I stop him by putting my finger to his lips and kiss him on his forehead, earning a few 'awes' from the crowd.

"Don't keep it a secret anymore…" I pull away and smile at the dumbstruck boy. "If it's a fight between friends, I'll cheer you guys on!" "Oh and Gray," I turn around to face the shirtless boy. Next thing they knew, he was send flying up to the sky in a large blast. "WHY ONLY ME!?" "That's what you get for freezing my butt off. Lucy-" she freezes on the spot. Instead of punishing her for earlier, I brought her a little down to my level and gave her a short peck on the cheek, earning a short small squeal from the girl. I smile at her, ignoring her reaction, and said, "Thanks for calming me down."

Lancaster huffs, "This is a touching moment... but I need for you to step aside so we can go on with our business." We all watch as Lancaster walks up to Erza with a prepared pair of handcuffs in hand. Azul flies into my arms and stares up at me worriedly as I continued to glare at the woman.

"What do we do now Avery...?"  
"I don't know Azul... but we have to trust Erza on this one..."

In all honesty, I'm just lying to myself. I trust Erza but I still hate the idea of her being arrested for god knows what. Unconsciously, my hold on Azul slightly tightens, causing her to squeeze my top and continue to watch me with sad eyes. Lancaster was just about to lock the cuffs around Erza's cuffs when an odd looking metal bird can flying in. "Artemis!" she gasps. Completely forgetting Erza, she hold her hands out and allows the creature to flap down. Azul and I blankly gaze at the metal bird and blurt out, "Weirdo." "SHUT YOUR TRAPS! Now then... what did the boss want Artemis?"

Pressing what seems to be with eye, which sent shivers down our spines, and projects a light into her glasses. "Hoh...? This is very interesting... It seems today wasn't a waste of time after all," a Cheshire-like smile crosses her lips as her expression darkens a bit. "Avery Reinhart-" And before I knew it, my hands were bound together in front of me. "You are hereby charged for the destruction of both Algarose and Clover town. Anything you say will be used against you in court!" "Eh!?" everyone exclaims. Erza tries to step in. "You can't do that-" she was stopped when Lancaster instantly cuffs her hand and pushes her to the ground.

"Apparently I can Titania. You see," I flinch at her cold stare. "-It seems that she not only succeeded in eradicating the monster, but she destroyed the town itself. The council has had enough of this girl mindlessly destroy everything in her path!" "Avery saved those people! The mission was supposed to be one monster… not a dozen of them!" Azul interjects and tries to help me get out of the cuffs. "Hmph..." I watch in horror as Lancaster outstretches a hand with a yellow magic array appearing, her eyes void of emotion. In a split second, I pull Azul into my arms and twisted around in time as a ball of lightening comes flying in our direction.

"Gaaaaah!" I cough out some blood as the spell made contact with my skin. "AV!" I land on the ground- hard. My goggles snap off my head and fell onto the ground a few feet away from me- the glass shattering into pieces on impact. My body shaking as I protectively held Azul in my arms, fearing for the worst what would happen if I let her go now. Natsu tries to run up to me but Lancaster foresaw this and already created two fox like creatures out of lightening to block him. "Avery...?" I look down to see Azul crying, burying her face in my chest as her paw digs into my top again.

-Natsu-

"I'm fine Azul... I'll be..." My blood ran cold the moment I see Av drop's her head, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow. I grit my teeth and charged at the woman with a flaming fist, completely ignoring the two foxes and furiously went after the one who hurt Av. "Natsu! Stop! Don't do anything reckless!" I hear Lucy. "Arrest or no arrest... nobody hurts my nakama! Especially Av!" I thought I had her! Only when my first was inches from that four eyed weirdo's face, she suddenly appears at my side and strikes me down to the ground with her leg.

She adjusts her glasses and turns away from me. "Resistance against arrest shall be punished. Be reminded that this is by the order of the council itself- so I implore you not to resist any more than you have." I groan as I lift myself off the ground, "Avery didn't do anything wrong... she wasn't resisting anything...! She's not like that... and she sure as hell wouldn't destroy a place without any good reason for it too!" She chuckles in amusement, "Oh people like her never has a reason for what they do. Monsters like her shouldn't even exist anyway! Her existence is a crime itself!"

I stood up straight, prepared to trying again in punching that stupid smirk off her face, and charged a bit when Erza suddenly appears behind Lanchester's (Me: Not a misspell... -_- Remember it's Natsu we're talking about here) back and points the tip of her blade at her neck.

-Erza-

"I can understand that you have some sort of resentment towards Avery... but intentionally hurting her is no excuse! I saw what you did there! You knew she would try and protect Azul." My expression darkens when I see that only amusement flashes in Lancaster's eyes. Her intentions were as clear as water. I've known long enough how much this woman resents Avery, but it gives her no right to hurt Avery just for that reason. She adjusts her glasses with her middle finger, answering back in a casual tone, "I have no idea what you are talking about Titania. I am simply preventing the Typhoon from going wild."

I almost wanted to slash her throat open until the master reached up and grabbed my hand. "Master?" I lowered my sword when I saw him look up at me sternly. He orders me, "Stand down Erza. I'll be the one to handle this." Reluctantly, I gave into his orders.

-Back to Me-

Slowly, I started to regain consciousness and found myself on the ground with Azul still in my arms. I heard the footsteps of two people running up to me not long after, instantly catching the scent of both Gray, Lucy, and Happy. "Avery are you okay!?" Lucy panics as she helps lift me up, releasing Azul from underneath. I was about to answer until I felt a hot stinging pain on my back. "Here," Gray lightly places a chunk of ice on my back, "this will sting a bit... but it'll help ease the pain." I clench my teeth as I felt the full cold pressure on my back- already on the brink of tears. "It doesn't look that bad..." Happy tries to reassure me, but I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was already crying.

Reaching up, I patted the blue cat's head. "Don't cry Happy, I'm going to be alright... you just take care of Azul for me alright...?" "Avery... I'm sorry... I-I just wanted to-" Azul chokes on her own tears. I chuckle and reached for her next, "Azul not you too... You guys know how much I hate it when my nakama cries..." When I tried to sit up, I bit my lip and ignored the pain as I finally sat up right. Lucy puts a firm hand over my shoulder to help me from falling back. "Don't push yourself Avery," Lucy says worriedly. Gray chills the ice even colder and says, "You don't have to force yourself. We'll take care of that woman."

I put a hand over hers and reassure them both "Thanks Lucy... Gray... I'm fine." A loud scream suddenly erupted. Makarov held Lancaster up in the air with his arm stretched up. "What did you say about Avery...?" Even though it hurt, I quickly shot up on my feet and ran over to him. "Ojii-san stop! I'll go Lancaster! Both of you just calm already!" I force Makarov to let Lancaster go and stood in between then with my arms stretched out. "I'll go as long as you leave Fairy Tail alone. They don't deserve to be constantly bullied by the council!"

There's no way I can reason with Lancaster to let Erza go, but I could make at least this one as long as I can remember, the council has been constantly tried to pin the blame on Fairy Tail with any problems related to the guild just so that they can have a reason to get rid of us. I don't know why they hate our guild so much. Sometimes I think they're just scared of how powerful most of us are. "Hmph… I'll see what I can do," and with that I held my hands out as I obediently stood firmly in place. Natsu grabs me by the shoulder and pulls me away. "Wait Av! Think about this! This Lanchester lady has hated your guts-"

Lancaster instantly corrects Natsu, "It's Lancaster." He ignores this and continues, "-For a long time now! Maybe she's just taking advantage of this and wants to take this chance to take you away!" That may be true, but what choice do I have. "I'll be fine! Besides," I go on my toes and whisper into his ear, "knowing you...? You'll come charging to our rescue... I have faith in you Natsu... I'll see you later..." Surprised at first, Natsu quietly nods and steps back, allowing Lancaster to finally hand cuff me but glances at him then at me in curiosity.

Knowing Natsu, he won't sit around and do nothing while Erza and I are taking our trials. I trust him. Erza turns to face Natsu. "Don't worry Natsu. I'll be sure to look after her," she promised before walking after me.

||Magic Council HQ||

As I walked along side Erza behind Lancaster and the frog's turned backs, I couldn't help but glance around the area. I smirk at a certain claw mark on the wall, 'Seems like they weren't able to entirely erase the damage I did here...' "Stop!" We come to a halt when Lancaster suddenly lifts her hand up in the air. "Reinhart," she snaps her fingers and a door slips open on the wall beside us, "you'll be coming with me. Your jail cell is ready for you." My jail cell!? Erza marches up to the woman, demanding for answers, "On who's orders!? You simply said you were arresting Avery just like me! She should be going to trials as well- not instantly going to jail!"

She adjusts her glasses. "It depends on the severity of one's crime. Yours was simply taking a mission and bringing non-S class wizards with you. Reinhart is an entirely different story." "You bitch...!" curses Erza as she grinds her teeth together. Lancaster chuckles darkly at this, "And what shall you do about it? You know, as well as I do, going against the Magic Council is an even bigger crime."

-Erza-

After Avery and Lancaster walk into the secret room- Avery looks over at me with an extreme worried look in her eyes. I tried to smile at her in reassurance as best as I could, but as the doors slowly started to close themselves, I felt every part of my body go numb. "Let's go," the frog orders and starts to walk off. Making a tight fist, I begrudgingly turn away from the door and follow the frog. At the back of my mind I knew something was going on. 'Avery... Stay safe...'

-Back to me-

I was roughly pushed into the cube-like bubble and fell on my knees as the so called cell was sealed shut. I quickly jump on my feet to face the woman. "I will come back for you later," was the last thing Lancaster said to me before turning her back me, walking down the path as it began to crumble away behind her back. Once the opening she came through closed, I suddenly felt the bubble jolt a bit and start to move around. "Oh crap..." I groan, feeling my motion sickness starting to kick in. I fell back on the 'ground' and hugged my knees close to my chest, trying my best not to puke. "Some prison... feels more like a death trap to me..."

I don't know what made me think it was a good idea- curious as to where I am, I decided to look down... "AAAAHHHHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS HIGH!?" There was like a deep pit of darkness down below me. Even though I was supposedly 'safe' in my cell- the view down below was completely unnecessary! Two weaknesses all at once- my fear of heights and motions sickness all combined into this prison. I can't tell whether or not this was intentional or not!

-Normal-

"Let me out already!" Natsu yells from inside his 'prison'. In order to stop him from going on a rampage, he was transformed into a gecko and ends up trapped in a glass cup. "You'll just go after them," Mirajane states. Natsu continues to insist, "No I won't! So turn me back!" "If I do that, you'll just go after her, right?" questions the girl, bending down to his level. "No I won't! Who cares about Erza anyway! Avery is the one I'm worried about! She can't be alone!" that only made Mirajane's point. She wasn't talking about Erza. Not only did she know, everyone else knew that Avery is the only one on his mind at the moment.

They couldn't blame him. After the incident between Lancaster and Avery- it almost sent everyone over the edge. Even Makarov almost snapped as well. While the others continued to talk about what to do next, Azul floats by the window and smiles. 'Good luck... Natsu,' with that thought, she secretly looks over at the red gecko. 'Natsu' catches this and nods in determination.

||Era||

Running at full speed towards the Magic Council headquarters, the real Natsu eyes were glued on the building- determined to rescue both Erza and Avery. He can trust Erza in taking care of Avery, but there was something telling him that something was up and Avery was in danger. He wasn't being paranoid. He KNEW Avery was in danger.

-Back to Me-

"Avery Reinhart-" a deep sinister voice spoke up. My head shot up only for my eyes to fall upon a man with blue hair, a strange red tattoo on his right eye. "Fairy Tail's very own Typhoon. It's an honor to meet you." For some odd reason, I felt a lump in my throat and my heart was beating hard against my chest the longer I stared into his eyes. My vision started to shake, palms began to feel sweaty, and every inch of my body felt a cold sensation all over. 'This feeling it's like that time back then-' an image of a man in black robes towering over my appeared at the back of my mind, 'only this feels... slightly different... like a fake of some sort...'

I can't tell what this guy is. There's something about him that I just can't put my finger on... "I know all about what you did in Celest." It felt like something on the inside cracked at the familiar name- memories of that day came flooding back in. "Who are you...? What are you...?" I question, still trying to fight back my terrible motion sickness. "Heh..." A vein pops at the side of my head at this. I held my fist tightly as I glare at the strange man in annoyance. "Why you..." He takes a step closer to the prison cell, causing me to nervously shift in place.

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet." I watch as he slightly tilts his head to the side, revealing a medallion on hid jackets collar. I stared at it hard and mutter out loud, "That's the same as the symbol on ojii-san's coat..." To my surprise, the man bursts out laughing. "You amuse me Typhoon! For someone whose hands have been dirtied for so long you still have an innocent mind!" Whoever this guy is, he's really starting to get on my nerves! He further questions me, "Tell me... what is it like? To have such a destiny such as yours- I wouldn't blame you for wanting to lock it away in the deepest regions of your mind, but it is a very special occasion. What caused you to run away from it?"

::FlashBack::

_"No...! Stop don't-"  
"Mo-Monster!"  
"You're not human... You're a... DEMON!"  
"You can't run from your destiny! No matter how far you run- you'll always be a monster!"_

::End of FlashBack::

I couldn't answer back. Not because I don't want to, now that I know he's one of those 'big heads'- is what Natsu calls them- it's just that... I really don't know how much longer I can last in this thing. He puts a hand on his chest and,finally, introduces himself, "My name is Siegrain. I am a member of the Magic Council as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Just like your master." Instead of being impressed, I just sat there with a blank face and stare, "Sea... brain...? That's a weird name." Again, he starts to laugh at me. At first I was going to yell at him to leave, then I remembered something.

"Wait... You're a member of the magic council right? What are you planning to do with Erza-" I shot up on my feet, completely forgetting that I was in a moving prison cell, so as soon as I got stood up I accidentally made the cell move around a bit. I cover my mouth and started to turn sickly green in the face. 'I forgot... I'm in a moving prison cell...' Collapsing back on the transparent floor, I held both hands over my mouth as my vision started to swirl. Siegrain chuckles at my situation, "You are completely helpless now. All that talk about how you'll demolish every Dark guild... and yet you can't even handle this."

Even though I hate to admit it, he's right. I selflessly proclaimed how I would destroy every single dark guild out there; destroy the three major dark guilds that control every other lesser ones, and then, make sure no other no other dark guild can be formed. And yet here I am. Imprisoned and completely helpless.

"Erza will act as our scapegoat. With what's happened thanks to you and your team taking part in the Lullaby incident, we decided to take the easy way out in order to calm the public. She is perfect for the role of shoulder the blame."  
"All of this... just so you guys can protect your reputation... and control over the people...? You sick bastard have always been going at Fairy Tail's for so long... Why can't you guys just leave my family alone? All we've done... is do the dirty work you chickens are too afraid to handle..."  
"Personally, I like Fairy Tail. They amuse me so much."  
"We're not just some piece entertainment..! If that's why you think its okay to use Erza as a scapegoat... use me instead...! You already have me... so just take it out on my instead...! Humans can be cruel to others just because they hold no high regard for them... but that doesn't give anyone the right... to mess around with other humans just to save themselves..."  
"...Is that what you think? My my you really don't know much about the world. And they've worried about keeping you alive for this long..? What a joke."

Just as I was about to answer back, a sudden rumble shock the entire building all around us. My motion sickness worsened thanks to it. "Erg..." Siegrain smirks at this, "Oh? It seems an unexpected guest has arrived." There's only one person that comes to mind- "Natsu..." I mutter, tilting my head to allow my bangs to cover half of my face and smile. He turns back to me- his body slowly disappearing. "I guess I should get back to the trial... I want to see how things turn out for my dear old friend." Hearing this, my head shot up and in that instant I felt my blood run cold.

There was a purple figure wrapping itself around Siegrain's body. It's head slowly turning to face me, revealing a skull like face with red markings all around it. I held back my scream long enough until he finally disappeared. When he did, I hugged myself and screamed at the top of my lungs, not caring if anyone else was around to hear me. I remember seeing something like that all too well...

-Natsu-

Erza glares straight at me in rage, "I don't even know what to say to you. This is just a formality." I repeat at a loss, "A formality..!?" With a short sigh, she explains everything to me, "It's to preserve the order of the magic world. The council must make a show of enforcing law among wizards." This was so confusing! I still can't understand what's going on! I stood up saying, "What!? I don't get it at all!" After Erza continued to scold me, yelling so loud that I almost permanently turned white, we both sat in place with our backs against the cell bars.

"Hold on a second... if this is all just for show, where's Av!?" I demand, realizing too late she was missing. Guilt immediately flashed in Erza's eyes, I can even smell it from her. She looks away, hugging herself and apologizes, "Forgive me... Natsu, you have to believe me when I say this, but I tried my best. It just happened...!" I grabbed her by her hands. "Erza, where is she!?" She answers me in a hush tone, "She was taken into a separate jail... I don't really know where she is exactly, but she was taken away by Lancaster and told me Avery wasn't going to have a trial like me. The council simply wanted to lock her up without getting her side of the story."

"THEY DID WHAT!?" I charged to the stone wall in front of us and started to kick it with all I got. "Natsu stop it! This prison is meant to keep wizards imprisoned! They made a special seal to prevent us from using magic!" I ignored her and continued kicking on the wall. One of the rocks shifted, much to Erza's surprise and gave me a huge advantage in escaping. Erza runs up to my side, still trying to stop me, "Quit it Natsu! We'll stay here and wait until we're released tomorrow morning. Master will take care of this matter on his own! He can be the one to get Avery out."

I continued to kick it. "And how long will that take!? The longer Av is alone and away from me- she'll be in helpless! She can't be alone! I have to find her! NOW!" With one last kick and gathering up all of my strength, I sent one last powerful blow to the wall until it finally exploded. She stood in place shocked as I run past her. Erza snaps out of it and calls out to me, "She'll be just fine Natsu! She can take care of herself!" Like she'd know. 'Av... Hold on...! I'm coming!' my thoughts scream

+4 Years Ago+

Av has been gone for a while now. Someone in the guild told me she just returned from her mission with Azul two days ago, but she hasn't shown up once! "That's odd... Avery and Azul still haven't come in yet?" Levy wonders out loud as she huddles together with Jet and Droy. "It's been two days... Master's the only one that's seen her... I wonder what's up..." whispers Jet. Erza walks up to my side with crossed arms, staring at the door as well, "I'm really worried now... This is the longest Avery's been gone without saying a word. Azul informed me earlier that she was just sick, but I highly doubt that..."

That caught my attention. "Sick...? But Avery never catches a cold-" Then it hit me. I jump out of my seat, knocking it down in the process, and grabbed Happy (who was in the middle of eating fish.) "C'mon Happy! Let's go!" I yell as I charged out of the guild. "Matte yo Natsu! I'm still eating!" Happy complains, holding his fish close to his mouth.

||Av's house||

After flying all the way to her place, I rush to the door and start banging on it. "Av! I know you're in there! Answer me!" No answer. With no other choice, I glanced over at Happy who went back to finishing his meal. "Sorry Happy," I grabbed him by his green pack and went to the window. "-but I have to do this!" "Eh!? Natsu!?" I open it and threw Happy in before he could escape. Seconds later, he bursts out of the door screaming with Azul flying after him. "HAPPY~! Wait for me~!" Taking this chance, I went for the door only to find-

"Yo... Natsu..." Av painfully greets me, holding her bandaged arm away. "Av... you..." I fell on my knee's in shock. She was almost bandaged from head to two. She smiles weakly at me, "I'm fine...! See? Just a few scratches here and there!" I ask her, my voice shaking, "When you said to go on ahead... was it because you wanted Happy and I to stay safe?" "Yeah... this guy was pretty strong... and I know you guys really wanted to get home as soon as possible! So I decided to stay behind and take him on myself..." her voice drops when she see's me stand up.

I grit my teeth and made a fist. "Av..." She closes her eyes and prepares for what's coming. Instead of getting mad at her, I ran up to her and wrapped my arms around her head. "Na...tsu...?" Av mutters, her words slightly muffled.

+Present+

-Back to Me-

It's actually... pretty scary. Being alone without anyone to talk to but yourself, so much different compared to those times when I'd isolate myself from others as a kid. I chuckle at the memory and hugged myself, "Of course I'd forget that feeling... Natsu... Gray... Erza... Azul... Happy... everyone... they've always been there for me! Especially Natsu.." "...A...v...!" My head shot up when I heard this. Carefully, I stood up and looked at the direction where the voice came from. I focus my eyes at the dark space above me. "...AV!" A huge smile crosses my lips when I see Natsu falling down towards me.

I wave a hand up at him as I tried to call out, "Natsu I'm down here!" He falls down faster once he finally catches sight of me. "Hold on Av! I'll-" his body slams onto the invisible wall of my cell. I wince as Natsu peels his face off the surface. "Hold on! I've got you!" He raises both hands up, revealing large wooden handcuffs, and attempts to smash the top open. Instead, it caused the cells to move around a bit at the sudden impact. Natsu and I turn green at this.

"Why did you punch it...!?"  
"L-Like I would know this thing could move!"

We both struggled separately with our motion sickness. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the ceiling above me opens up wide enough for Natsu to fall in. "Waaah!" we both cry out as Natsu falls on top of me.

-Lancaster-

As much as I hate Reinhart, I had to 'help' her so that I could finally shut her up at the same time lock the pink haired boy away. "Hmph..." I turn away and went back to my duties.

-Back to Me-

Now that we're back together again, that means our motion sickness can go away. Still, Natsu didn't want to be separated from me- for both of out sake's- and ends up holding me close to him in a bone crushing hug. "You alright Av? Did they do anything to you?" he asks me, looking down at me with worried eyes. I put a hand over his and squeezed it in a reassuring manner, saying, "I'm fine Natsu... My back feels a little better now too..." He grits his teeth, "Aitsu... I'll kill that megane on'na!" When Natsu moves to stand up, I quickly grip the black cloth of the upper part of his coat, stopping him from moving.

Natsu gently hugs me. "Av..." I silently cried against his bare chest, "Please don't move... I don't want to be reminded of what's down below..." He must have finally noticed the black pit below us because I felt a sudden jolt from him after I told him this. After a long period of silence, I ask him out of the blue, "How's Erza? I heard from that Seabrain guy what they wanted Erza for." "She's fine. I had to leave her behind to find you. Erza really wanted to help you, but she couldn't thanks to all this political stuff." I smile at this, happy knowing that my friend is alright, and lean closer to his chest. 'Natsu is so warm…' was my last thought before my vision went dark.

+The Next Day+

"Yes! FREEDOM!" Natsu cheers as he runs around the guild wildly. I couldn't help but laugh at his usual antics while others complained about how loud he was being. I knew they were actually relieved to see us back safely, they just don't know how to really show it. "Avery-san!" Lucy calls out and runs up to me. I huff with a small smile, "I told you to just call me Avery. No need for formalities. I'm younger than you, remember?" "Hehehe…" Lucy scratches the back of her head nervously. "Ah! I almost forgot," she digs in her pockets to bring out my goggles. I took it from her in shock as she explained to me, "It came off when you took that hit to the back from Lancaster. I found it all messed up and decided to have it repaired. I know these goggles are really precious to you…"

I smile from cheek to cheek and hug her. "Arigatou Lucy! You're the best!" I pull away only to burst out laughing to see her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Avery tasukete!" Happy cries, flying away as fast as his wings could carrying him. He hides behind my head as Azul swoops over to me with hearts flying all around her. Here we go again. "Happy~! Watashi wa daisuke desu! PLEASE MARRY ME!" she begs. "WAH! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Lucy and I burst out laughing as Happy flies off with Azul right on his tail. "Yo Avery!" Gray butts in and wraps his cold arm over my shoulder. "Heard you did a number back in Algarose. Wanna head out and celebrate later?"

Cana over hears this and slips in between us, clearly drunk, to mess with Gray again. "Asking Avery out on a date? That' very bold of you Gray…" she teases. Gray's cheeks flame hot pink and denies her claims, "You're wrong! I didn't mean it that way!" Cana presses on, "Oh~? Then what exactly do you mean Gray?" "Actually I-" Lucy pulls me away with a blank expression as Natsu comes flying in, punching Gray right in the face. "You've got me nerve Ice Princess!" Natsu yells. Gray retaliates and punches Natsu back, "Stay out of my business you snot nose brat!" Lucy and I sweat drop as the two began to go at each other's throats again.

I look over at Lucy who looks back at me, and the next thing I knew, we were both laughing our hearts out. "Hahahaha…" my laughter dies down as I felt a strong wave of magic rush past me. I stood in place unnerved as everyone else collapses to the ground, passed out due to the strong sleeping spell. Only Makarov and I were the only ones unaffected by the spell. Though, I could sense someone on the upper floor was awake with us. A certain masked wizard walks through the guild doors, silently walking past me as he heads toward the request board. "Mystogan…" I mutter out loud.

I could hear Makarov say something to Mystogan, but I didn't listen in and focused on the mage himself as he makes his leave. 'His scent… it's like that guy back in Era…' "Remove this spell already!" Makarov orders in annoyance. Mystogan silently counts down. Before he said one, I rushed out after him and grab Azul at the same time. With the spell undone, Azul steers in her sleep and looks up at me in confusion. "Avery? Where-" I interrupt her as I flipped my goggles on, "No time to explain Azul! We have to go find Mystogan!" Without furthering questioning me, she jumps out of my arms and uses Aria as I kick my feet off the ground and shot up into the sky. 'His scent… there's no doubt about it!'

||Outskirts of Magnolia||

I land right behind Mystogan and called out, "Mystogan! Hold on a second! I have to ask you something!" He comes to a stop as Azul floats at my side. I gulp then said, "Yesterday... I met with a man who calls himself Siegrain. I know you both have different names and you're different people, but he has the exact same smell as you do. I could have just brush it off as a mere coincidence and ignore it. It's not like it would have been the first time I found two different people with similar scents." "Then what's the problem?" Mystogan questions, unsure where I was going at with what I was saying.

I point to the tattoo that was slightly visible on his right eye, saying, "You both have the exact same tattoo. It's a little hard to see, but I'm sure of it now." We both wait for his reaction. My heart was beating hard against my chest. As turns, my eyes went wide when our eyes came in contact. "Avery? What's wrong?" Azul asks me as I step back in fear. I mutter loud loud in shock, "How is it… That you both are…"

**To Be Continued**

**And another chapter out! Phew! Just in time! I was panicking when I saw I had only one day left to publish this and I had about 3697 words only! DX Thanks for being patients guys! Exams are coming up next week so I had to cramp in as much crap as possible! Then I look at my calendar then my clock to see it was 30 minutes before midnight! It's really hard to juggle my time around as both a nursing student and a fanfic writer at the moment... That's why I'm yelling at my 15 year old self for now publishing this earlier! But no…. I just HAD to restart from scratch! Thankfully I didn't back in january when the final chapter of the tartarus arc came out! (I followed the manga after the anime took a year long break)**

**Me: Sore ja minna-san! Instead of talking to Reinhart today... I've brought in Azul for help!  
Az: Hi hi minna!  
Me: So, how's the story going for you?  
Az: Really smoothly! I even got to spend more time with Happy off-screen! Kyaaa~!  
Me: *sweat drop* A-Ah... Anyway! I think it's time to skip on to the trivia question for today!  
Az: Hai! *draws out the slip* Alright! What is Jet's real name? Wait- Jet isn't his name!?  
Me: Of course not! Though I wouldn't blame anyone for not knowing or forgetting his real name at this point... -_-|||**  
**Az: Soudesuka...  
Me: Ha... anyway, I do not own any Fairy Tail characters, only my OC's Avery, Azul, Lancaand many moAll rights belong to Hiro-sensei! thank you once again for all your support for so long! Please R&amp;R and we'll see you again on the next chapter!  
Az: I'm so tired! Why do we always have to do stuff every time someone asks for only us! Eh? Happy took a mission from the 2nd floor!? Why does it have to be another monster!? Next time on winds of hope- the cursed island! Can't I go out on a mission that requests for me and Happy just one time...?**


	8. Chapter 7

_~Gray's Intro~_

_'When you lose someone close to you,_

_that smile will fade away, tears will fall_

_until there's non left, but you must move_

_on. I know it's hard but you have to try.'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 7 - The Cursed Island~_**

-Me-

+Night Time+

As Azul and I silently walk back home after what happened hours ago. Azul didn't really understand what was going on so she's kept quiet the whole time since. I hug myself, the memory of what happened still replaying in the back of my mind. 'What's going on...? His face is so similar and yet...' I shut my eyes in fear.

+Earlier+

(A/N: For those who are new to Fairy Tail sorry for the little spoiler

"Who... are you?" I nervously ask Mystogan as I protectively step in front of Azul, unsure what will happen at this point. I barely know this guy- and it's not because I'm always out on missions under Makarov's or the council's request. This guy is rarely around the guild and seems to favor seclusion rather than interact with any one- anyone except Makarov. "...How were you able to find me?" he asks. I put a hand on my chest and explained to him, "I'm a dragon slayer, just like Natsu. I only wanted to talk to you because... there's something that's bothering me. And it has to do with your scent."

"I'm sure whatever if it you can ignore it," Mystogan says as he turns to leave. I take a step forward. "Wait!" He comes to a stop the looks over his shoulders, his brown eyes looking straight at me from under all that cloth wrapped around his face. I gulp, "Are you really who you say you are...?" No matter what his excuse is, his scent is the biggest give away so whether he denies or not won't matter at this point. I just need to at least see if he's a capable of lying, because if he does lie that would mean trouble for the guild. He snickers a bit under his mask, slightly pissing me off.

He apologizes, "Sorry... It's just... I never thought you'd find out again so soon..." "Again?" Azul and I repeat in confusion. "This is about the 20th time you've asked about my face... I wonder what's different now..." he mutters to himself, annoying me even more. "Listen here-" Mystogan raises a hand up to stop me. "Sorry to say this again... but I've been erasing your memories every time you confront me." Azul panics and immediately asks the mask wizard, "What about me!? Have you been messing with my head too!? You better not have touched anything important in here!"

I sweat drop at this, deadpanning at the cat, "What could be so important in that head of yours exactly...?" "My memories of Happy!" I fell to the ground on the side as Azul holds a fist up, ready to attack Mystogan at any moment. He chuckles then reassures her, "Don't worry, this is the first time for you." She huffs in relief. 'That's not something to be relieved about!' my thoughts scream as I blurt out, "You should have... for everyone's sake..." Azul over hears this while fantasizing about her dream wedding with Happy (which is what she practically dreams of everyday) and the both of us ended up arguing, again.

"I'm a girl okay! It's normal for me to fantasize over the boy I love!" She clasps her paws together and looks up at the sky with sparkles in her eyes. "Not to the point where it becomes an obsession! I swear you are the only being in the entire universe that stalks, obsesses, and fawns over someone just as much as you do! I doubt there'll be someone out there like you," I yell, crossing my arms and looking away in annoyance. Mystogan gaps in shock before he chuckles at our argument, stopping us and making up look at him in confusion. "Hey what's so funny!?" Azul snaps, causing me to yank her down by her tail and pull her down then cover her mouth from saying anything else.

"Nothing it's just you two-" he looks up at us in amusement. "You two remind me of two old friends of mine." I sweat drop then point out, "What about Natsu and Gray?" Mystogan shakes his head, "Those two take their arguments to the extreme. You two on the other hand just bicker over the smallest things." "Sometimes it's mostly her that started it," Azul blurts out. "One time it started to rain and she just ran out of the inn without saying anything!" "Hey it was for a good reason! That girl looked so depressed with her just walking alone in the rain like that..." my voice dropped at that last part, reminiscing on that sudden rainy day.

-Normal-

In the rain, a girl in all blue walks underneath her umbrella only to stop in place and sneeze. She look around in curiosity, wondering out loud, "Is someone... talking about me?"

-Back to Me-

"Why do you want to ask about my identity?" Mystogan asks me. I lower my head and made a fist, answering in a hushed tone, "You're scent is similar to that guy I met back the Magic Council in Era..." He was silent at first. And then, much to out surprise, lifts a hand off and starts to remove the mask covering his face. Once the mask was off I felt every part of my body go numb from shock as my eyes were glued on his face. "Wait a minute! You're...!"

+Present+

"Avery!" I step back in shock when Azul flies right in front of my face. "Look..." She turns the the side a bit and gazes at something with wary eyes, a small ball of sweat crawling down her cheek. I follow her gaze and see a certain blonde walking towards me at a fair distance away from where we stood. "Laxus...? What is he doing out this late...?" I wonder out loud as we cautiously watch him as he takes a step past me. A tiny spark of electricity emits from him hand, hitting my exposed arm in the process. I yelp and step away to the side in pain as I held my injured arm away. Azul floats over to take a better look as I lift my hand up.

It wasn't that bad, at least not to leave a scar, but it was on the worst place on my body. I can hide wounds around my friends depending on what spot, but my arm is the most exposed for everyone to see. Laxus pretends it was an accident and turns to 'apologize' to me, "Sorry 'bout that Avery. I wasn't looking where I was going." I angrily smile up at him as I glare straight into that annoying smug look in his eyes. "No it's my fault. I keep forgetting how much of a lightening rod you are whenever you're around." As a kid, I used to feel bad for him when his father was kicked out. Well that was before I finally accepted humans again.

Now? I view him as one of the most arrogant wizard in the guild. No matter how many times I remind myself he's nakama as well, the way he treats everyone like dirt always irritates me. His 'pals' are no different but at least they're not as bad as him. "Avery... let's go home," Azul begs, looking up at me with pleading eyes. I glance down at Azul then back at Laxus. 'If I stick around Laxus any longer... I doubt I'll be able to hold myself back.' I hug Azul back into my arms and turn to walk back to our original direction towards home. Then, out of nowhere, Laxus informs me, "I remember that a certain blue cat took something from the upstairs floor."

I felt my blood run cold when he said that. He continues to gloat, "I was planning on stopping them, but I thought it would be a little entertaining to see what they'll do." I quickly turn around to yell at the man, "Why didn't you stop them!? Natsu and Happy aren't supposed to take an S-Class mission! They aren't ready to face something like that!" "And if they were, you'd let them?" I bit my lip and turned away. Actually, that's exactly what I'll do. Though I would follow after them just to make sure they're alright of course. "Heh... Pathetic."

I couldn't help myself- I just had to at least confront him with this while we're still 'talking'. "Lancaster thinks I'm the one that cause you to abandon her like that. She won't stop until she figures out the real reason why. Please Laxus she-" he interrupts me, "Why would I stick around a weakling like that? She's simply a stray puppy that kept following me wherever I go." I almost felt the stinging in my back again where Lancaster struck me. 'Yeah... for a weakling she sure packs a good hit...' Laxus turns his back on me and yells in annoyance, "Hmph! If that's all you have to say then I think it's about time you go off to find your boyfriend and stripper! I heard Gray went after the three not too long ago."

I turn red at this, earning a smug look from Azul as Laxus turns and walks away, ticked off that his good mood was ruined by me. "Laxus..." Even though he's the reason why I hate lightening, and the reason why his ex-girlfriend hates me, I still hope there'll be a chance for him to change. I get that seeing your own father kicked out takes a huge toll on a human, but I just wished he didn't take it out on us. "Wait! If Natsu's out on an S-class mission-" she pulls herself out of my arms and screams in terror, "Happy's life is on the line here! We have to go after him before it's too late!"

A vein pops on the back of my head as I yell, "Get your priorities right!" I clench a fist and looked up at the starry sky, worry flashing in my eyes as I thought, 'She's right though... there's no way Natsu will be able to handle this mission! Whatever the mission is, I have to help him! There's no way he'll leave no matter what I say to him.' "Oi matte-" Azul forcefully pushes herself out of my arms and panics, "If Natsu's gone that means Happy is too! We have to go after them Avery! Who knows what will to that handsome face of his!"

"Eh!? Azul hold on-!" I reach my hand up to grab her but I was too late to stop her, she was already up in the air with no clue where she was going. I sweat drop and sigh, "Why is it whenever Happy's mentioned, that's when she puts her line on the line in a dangerous mission?" I flew up after her, but not before taking one last look at the guild once I was high enough. 'I wonder if jii-san knows...' A terrifying image of Erza hovers above my head, snakes sprouting all at the back of her head as her usual demon glare drilling at the back of my head.

My mouth twitches a bit, slightly disturbed at the image my imagination created. 'Knowing Erza, she'd take up the role on trying to get them all back for disobeying the guild rules. It's no wonder everyone calls me an angel with the punishments compared to how Erza is... She's the best at punishments.'

||Hargeon Town||

"Are you sure this is the right place Avery!?" Azul asks me as she zooms back and forth around town. I grab her by the tail, after finally losing patience, and threw her over my shoulders. "Will you focus on something other than Happy? What we're doing is more than a simple rescue mission..." I glance over at the port. "This is a life and death mission... Whatever S-Class mission they took must have been really bad for Laxus not to do anything." "By the way... where are we going again?" Azul asks me. The realization struck me hard on the head. We had absolutely no idea where we're going!

"Their scent ends here so..." We both glance around the empty port area. It was almost dawn by the time we arrived in town, so there weren't many fisherman to ask for help. As we pass by every boat, I warily turn my head to the side when I felt the familiar urge to vomit rise up. We spot a couple of them already getting ready to set sail. Azul calls out, "Excuse me! Have any of you seen a pink haired fire breathing psycho, a stripper, and a handsome blue cat!?" "Why insult only Natsu and Gray!?" I exclaim as I flash her a 'what the heck' look.

All of the fisherman turn back, jumped into their boats, and sped at an abnormal speed. I sweat drop as Azul jaw drops at the unexpected reaction. "I know where they are," a man spoke up as he gets off his boat. "I brought them over to Galuna island not too long ago." I grab his hand and begged him, "Please take us there!"

+Later+

I groan as the boat continues to sway from side to side, my head sticking out of the boat as I stare down at my sick complexion from the ocean waters. "Why didn't we just fly over to the island?" Azul questions me, sweat dropping when she sees me move a hand to cover my mouth. "I don't want to be spotted… besides… the man offered us a ride so it'll be wrong to say no…" I cover my mouth with both hands before dipping my head lower and finally hurl everything outside the boat. "Your logic is messed up!" The boatman look over at us as Azul helps me sit up, my face pale after letting it all out.

"Are you both from fairy tail as well?" he questions, noticing the guild mark on my arm. "Y-Yeah… why do you ask?" I answer. "A couple of them really wanted a ride to the island when the others wouldn't out of fear," he tells us. "I wonder if something happened for them to get some reinforcement." I shook my head and glanced over at the island, glaring at it as I told him, "My friends aren't actually S-class wizards. My friend, Happy, took it without permission and two of them decided to go. Gray was supposed to bring him and his cat back, but I doubt that will happen so I followed after the three of them…"

He tilts his head to the side in confusion and corrects me, "Three? No there was four of them. I think it was a blonde girl that had keys with her if I remember correctly." "Lucy!?" Azul and I exclaim at the same time. I shot up on my feet, nearly forgetting my motion sickness until I felt the boat rock around even harder from side to side. Sick, I wobbled a bit then I suddenly found myself knocked over to the side and into the ocean. I could hear Azul from above the water as I sunk deeper. Still weak, I open eye onto for both of them to widen in shock when a white figure swims over to me.

My mouth opens in shock but I immediately shut it back close after seeing and air bubble come out. It had the figure of a woman by the looks of it, I wasn't actually sure since the light was blinding me a bit from checking. The white figure reaches a hand up to me. Its hand touches my cheek, a strange sense of relief washing over me as I felt a comfortable heat radiating off its hand. Then, in a sudden flash, an image of a younger Gray appears in my mind with another boy beside him and a woman behind the two.

It then changes to the woman facing off against a large horrifying demon towering over her as a teary eyed Gray watches in horror, holding the same boy as before in his arms. I blink only to find myself back into reality, the figure out of sight and nowhere to be seen. I was going to search for her but I suddenly started to choke a bit and swam back up for air. I gasp and coughed really hard once I got back to the surface. Azul immediately spots me and flies over to me, going behind my back to fly me out of the water. I cough, opening one eye as I mutter, "Thanks Azul…."

"No need to thank me… but that boat man is creepy!"  
"Hah? What are you talking about?"  
"He just flew off the boat! Right after you fell over, I was going to go after you but he just sprout out demon wings and flew off!"

I look at her in shock and shout, "Demon wings!?"

||Galuna Island||

Not long after getting knocked off the boat, Azul and I arrived ashore the island only to find debris of what looks like a boat. It sure didn't look like the one we were on, so it could only belong to someone else. "What now?" Azul asks me. "Well we could go to the people who sent the request..." I offered, hoping that they would give us the answers we need. We were about to move when all of a sudden, a loud explosion shook the ground and a large smoke cloud began to rise in the distance. "Natsu!" I bolt straight into the forest the moment I saw it.

I swear I thought I heard Azul say, "And she complains about me running after Happy..." but I ignore this and ran as fast as I could.

+later+

I plug my nose as we made out was through the forest, Azul eyeing me as I knocked a few trees, that were blocking my path, away. "Um… do you smell something odd?" I yell her as I punched another tree off the grown in a blast of wind, "There's this disgusting smell of rat in the air. It's not just one measly rat… but a gigantic one." We got into the clearing, and long behold was the very same rat I've been smelling since we got here. Except… "I's huge!" Azul and I scream, our eyes bulging out at the enormous size of the thing.

Azul takes a whiff and is the next to plug her nose. "Ew… not only does it look gross… but it smells like someone poured a bucket of grandma perfume mixed with rat poison…" I sweat drop at this, "That's not what I smell…" Out of curiosity, we both decided to take a closer look at the rat. Azul plops herself on its stomach, lighting tapping her foot on it then starts bouncing on its squishy belly. "Hahaha! Check it out Avery!" Azul laughs, making the weirdest poses each time she's up in the air. I watch her, lifting my head up to show her that I was wearing the rat's bonnet.

The two of us burst out laughing and continued to mess with the rat until- _FART! _I stared blankly as the fart cloud as Azul freezes in midair and falls down at the stench. "I-I think I know why you said it stinks…." she comments, her legs twitching in the air. "Angelica!" a voice gasps behind our backs. I look over my shoulder to see a twin tailed pink haired girl, her outfit exactly something a Goth Lolita person would wear. "Angelica?" I repeat, raising an eyebrow and look over at the rat. 'That explains the outfit… but how exactly is this thing angelic?' Azul shot up exclaiming, "It's a girl!?"

A dark magical aura began to surround the lady, causing me to protectively step in front of Azul and already had storm winds swirling around my body. "You will pay for hurting my loved one! Wooden doll!" Out of nowhere, a giant wood like creature forms on one of the trees and sends its wooden fist at us. I grab Azul and jump away in time as its large fist collides against the ground, rock debris and dust flying everywhere. I cough and shield my eyes. "Ranryū no odori!" I cried out as I spun around with a single arm extended, creating only one spiral stream and placed it in front of us. "Azul go now! Find Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy!" I order as I flip my goggles back on.

"What about you!?  
"Heh... don't worry about me. This will be a piece of cake!"

Once the stream disappears, I jump through the dust cloud and when straight for the wooden creature. "Ranryu no hassei!" I swing my ignited leg and kicked its side, sending it flying straight to its creature. The woman holds her hand up as a magic array appears. "Rock doll!" A large rock monster appears from the ground and punches the wooden one to smithereens. Before I could make another move, it starts sending multiple punches in my direction. I twist around in order to dodge its large fists, getting grazed a bit as I roughly dodge it by a mere inch.

I dash flip in the air one last time and leveled myself in the air, bellowing a large amount of wind from my mouth."Ranryu no hoko!" It wasn't enough to destroy the thing, but it was enough to send its creator flying. "Kyaaaa!" I hear her scream from behind 'dolls' back. I made a fist and charged at the rock golem. "Ranryu no ranken!" The rock doll crumbles to the ground at the pink haired girl flies backwards only for her to activate another spell in time and create another tree doll, catching her in the process. I flew over to her as she slowly picks herself up.

"I don't want to hurt you... I can see you're not really a bad person," I look back at the passed out rat. You think about your friends deeply and I can tell at the fact you aren't in any dark guild. I just want to find my nakama." I extend a hand to her, hoping to end this needless fight. When she took my hand, I almost felt relieved for a second there until a dark smile flashes on her. "Ayatsuri Ningyō!" I was caught off guard by the sudden flash of pink and soon find myself trapped in the arms of the rat. "What is-" I held my breath as the familiar disgusting scent enters my nostrils.

"Reitei-sama will be upset once he finds out about this... I need to tell Yuka and Toby..." I struggle, yelling, "Oi! Let go! I'm not letting you take me anywhere!" Suddenly, it felt like everything around my was swaying a bit. "Eh?" I blink and look up, then freeze in fear when I see the rat leaning forward and starts to fall to the ground. "Waaaaaah!" I scream after we both fall to the ground. Pinky starts to fangirl over something, "But then Reitei-sama will be pleased after he finds out I was the first to capture one of them!" "Don't forget who's under here!" I yell, trying to lift the rat up to get some air.

Above in the air, I caught sight of Azul flying away and heading towards the center of the island. 'Good luck Azul!' The rat's weight was too much for me to hold up anymore. "No no no no...!" And it rolls over on top of me.

-Normal-

The rat rolls over, leaving only Avery's hands sticking out and her screams were cut off. She slaps both hands wildly on the ground as her words were muffled, then comes to a complete stop with her soul flying out from underneath. "Avery-" Azul turns to help save her friend but comes to a stop. "That won't do... Avery is counting on you to find Natsu and the others!"

||Deeper Part of the Temple||

As Gray glares up at the encased demon, Lucy was the first to hear the footsteps not too far behind their backs. A short young man with large brushy, squared black eyes brows looks to the side and questions his dog man companion, "You heard the people's voices around here?" "Oooon," was the only reply he got as the dog man scratches his belly. All four of them hid behind a few large rocks just in time before they could be spotted by the strange, and very odd, due as they walk towards the imprisoned demon. Eyebrow man states, "It's noon, I'm sleepy."

Still getting 'Oooon' as a reply, he decides to tease the dog man for his own amusement, "Toby, were you exposed to the moon drip? You got like, ears and stuff!"Toby angrily yells at the shorter man, "No dude! They're like, fashion, yo!" "Just teasing you dolt," he immediately answers back after a huge smile crosses his lips. Toby whines as he mutters, "Yuka, you're so mean..." Lucy peeks over the rocks a little more, curious about their little conversation. "Moon drip? Are they talking about the curse?" Much to their surprise, Azul secretly flies over the two and stop at a good spot where she can't be seen.

Azul lifts her paw up to help her eyes scan the place for them, shivering a bit from the cold and the sight of the demon then goes back to looking. "Azul?" Gray and Lucy wonder out loud. Natsu see's the cat and jumps up on his feet, scared half to death at the sight of the orange black striped cat flying around. "IF SHE'S HERE THEN-" Gray immediately shoves his fist in Natsu's face while Lucy and Happy quickly pulls him down before Yuka and Toby could see him. Azul overhears this and spots the four. Ecstatic to see them, she quickly zooms over to them when the two look away and continue to investigate to a different part of the cave.

Happy readies himself for the attack only for Azul to fly over to the three teens and ignore the blue cat, much to his relief and surprise. "Guys! I'm so glad I found you...!" "What are you doing here Azul...?" Lucy whispers, checking every now and then at the two. Tears suddenly form in her eyes, shocking all three of them. "Avery... she's..." Azul hold back her tears so the nearby enemy won't hear her. Natsu completely forgets the two and grabs the cat, bringing her close to his face, demanding, "Azul... what happened to Av...!?"

Lucy grabs his wrist to keep him from getting up as she tries to calm him down, "Natsu calm down...! Avery-san might be alright...!" He pulls his hand away and argues, "No! I won't calm down...! Whenever Azul comes flying at me in tears, something's happened to here...! I need to get out of here and find her!" Gray grabs the dragon slayer's coat and, silently, yells at his face, "Listen to her you idiot...! I'm just as worried about Avery as you are... but charging in like that won't help her...! We need to stay low... then you can blow stuff up once we find her..!"

As much as he hates his rival, Natsu knew he was right. He slowly sits back down and glares at the two, thinking about every possibilities his mind could come up with on how they hurt Avery. Through the same entrance they went through, the same girl that fought Avery walks up and says, "Yuka-san, Toby-san, I bring sad news." Yuka was the first to acknoledge her presence, "It's you, Sherry." Sherry clasps her hands together, sadly telling them, "Angelica was just bullied my a monstrous girl." Toby angrily yells at her, "It's a mouse, dude! Don't give it no fancy name!"

"She is not a mouse! Angelica is a hunter that runs through the darkness... soushite... ai!(love!)" That last part threw Lucy off. She eyes the three and comments, "We've got some _serious _weirdos here. Especially that last one." "They're not from this island," Natsu answers. "They smell different." Happy comments as well, "And they don't seem like they're cursed either!" Azul walks up and clings onto Lucy's skirt, answering with a scared look in her eyes, "That's the girl... that fought Avery... she said she'd win but... how is that strange lady here?" Natsu and Lucy look down at Azul in shock, then at each other and then looked at Sherry.

"Monstrous girl?" Yuka spoke up. "Hai... I brought her here just in case," with a snap of her fingers, Sherry silently orders her rock doll to walk in with its prisoner in its fist. The moment it opens it, Avery drops to the ground hard, her arms bound together by by solid steel. "I found this girl and her cat bulling poor Angelica earlier. She even had the nerve to hurt me. How vexing! I almost lost if it wasn't for Angelica's ai!" a small heart appeared beside Sherry's face. Avery groans in pain, moving a bit until she felt a sharp pain around her wrists and saw the three standing before her.

"Dare ga!?" Avery demand as she shot up onto her feet, ready to defend herself at the proper given time."We should be-" a sudden blue light surrounds Avery, quickly causing every part of her body to feel weak and collapse back to the ground. "-asking you that." Toby notices her guild mark and yells, "She's has a mark on her arm! She's a wizard!"

-Back to Me-

I don't remember how exactly I ended up here, all I remember is being smothered to death by an awful stench that could kill more than one bug. I grit my teeth as I tried to stand up, my body going numb at the sudden loss of magic in my body. Sherry, the name of the strange lady, continues to explain to her companions, "She told me all she wanted was to look for her 'nakama' and bring them home." All of a sudden, a creepy aura began to surround the three. I suddenly felt all of my hairs on my head being pulled up, forcefully lifting my head up. "Tell me who you're looking for girl..." I answered him as I stuck my tongue out, "No way I'm telling a bushy eyebrow weirdo like you!"

"Hoh?" His grip on my hair tightens. He glares right into my eyes then states, "Orange hair... goggles... inappropriate garments..." I almost felt like punching him if it weren't for these stupid bonds. "Tell me, are you Avery the Typhoon?" he questions me. "And you must eye brow man with his trusty sidekick, Rat girl and dog boy," I spat, earning a disgusts look from Sherry and an enraged glare from Toby. "Hm... I have one way to make you talk. Sherry! I need a hand with something." I can't remember how things ended up like this, but I soon found myself hand up in the air facing... a demon!? "No way... it can't be... Deloria..?" I felt every part of my body freeze the longer I stared at the demon.

I've faced monsters and demons before, but what's scaring me about this thing for the first time is how demonic it's soul is. I look down, horrified even more at the kind of position I'm in. "No... no..." Yuka informs the two, "I've heard from a rare source that a certain dragon slayer has a fear of heights. Guess I chose wisely on who it is." This brought back so many memories. Delusional in my own little world, their faces became twisted in humor as the demon sudden moves and starts reaching out for me. "Not again... please no... please...!"

::Memory::

_I cried as the kids below me laugh, watching me as I I hang up in the air upside down. Below me was a pit they made while one of them was in charge hanging me. "Please let me go! I don't like it! Take me down from here!" Every thing was spinning, the ground felt like it was getting farther away from me. "Look! A monster can cry!" one of them laughs as my tears began to fall to the ground below me. One tear falls on one of their faces. "Ew! I got dragon germs!" Right before I could snap, a loud roar erupts in the air as the loud sound of flapping wings deafens the ears of the children down below._

_"Ah! It's the monster's mom!"  
"Run for it!" _

_I hiccup and watch as the children run away in fear, Reisswind lowering herself into the forest clearing and spots me not long after. "Avery!" she gasps, running up to me and biting the rope in half, freeing me as I fell down into her hand. "Avery, did they hurt you again?" Instead of answering, I wrap my arms around her snout and cried. She hushes me as she lowers me to the ground, "Don't cry Avery... someday humans will come to love you again... just you see.."_

::End of Memory::

"Iyaaaaaah!" The of the demon and memories of my past were too much for me to take in all at once. "Poor girl..." Sherry comments, gazing sadly up at my broken state. "That's what she gets for calling me a dog!" Both eyed Toby, staring at the obvious dog ears and tail attached to his body. "Tonikaku... we need to find the intruders before Reitei finds out about this," Yuka orders as he turns around. "And the girl?" they both ask. Yuka stops and looks at my terrified state, smirking as he answers, "She won't go any where. Seems like there's more to it than a fear of heights by the looks of it.

After they left, I choke on my own screams as the demon's soul begins to reach out for me. For real this time. I was helpless. If it wasn't for that day, I would have been just fine hanging up here. 'But... I didn't want to hurt them... I just couldn't...'

-Normal-

"Nooo! Stop it!" Avery continues to scream as the three leave the helpless girl behind, unbeknownst of the intruders waiting not too far from where they were. The moment he saw they were out of ear shot, Natsu jumps on his feet and dashes right below where Avery is hanging. "Oi Av! I'm right here! Av!" his cries only fell upon deaf ears as Avery continues to scream. "What's wrong with her?" Lucy gasps while watching Happy help Natsu up to free her. Gray creates a blanket of snow below the two just in case as he answers, "Avery has an intense fear of heights. Without her goggles on, she's completely helpless until someone gets be back down on the ground. But I've never seen her freak out this badly!"

Natsu raises a flaming fist and punches the wa, making it slightly crack before it completely shatters into pieces. Avery falls but her eyes were glued onto the imprisoned demon. Azul see's this and quickly flies over her partner, catching her in time to slowly lower on the cold cushion of snow below. As the three run up to them, the snow settles down to allow Natsu to get a better look at Avery, who was having an inner struggle about something that was keeping her from reality. Natsu grabs her on both sides after seeing Avery began to quake in fear, trying snap her out of whatever's gotten her so cared. "Av snap out of it! AV!" he cries as he starts to shake her.

-Me-

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" I scream in fear as I continued to get out of Deloria's tight grip. Even though I was afraid of it, there was something warm wrapping around my body that sorta of felt... familiar for some odd reason. I watch as he raises a hand up, slowly bringing me closer to its disgusting face while the sound of familiar laughter fills the air, bringing me close to the brink of tears. "Iyaaaah!" Instead of a large hand, I felt a sudden sting on my right cheek as the dark world around dissolves back into the cave- my friends hovering over me as I began to slowly regain my senses.

"Avery-san! Are you okay?" Lucy question me, a look of worry flashes in her eyes as she goes on her knees to my level. "Lucy...?" "You had us worried there! You were all over the place when you were up in the air," Gray says, putting a hand on my arm and tightly squeezing it. "Gray...?" Happy hops up and down in joy, crying out, "Avery is alright now!" "Happy..." Azul floats over to me in tears, apologizing while trying not to cause a waterfall on me, "I'm sorry for leaving you Avery! I know you said it's okay to leave you... but look at what happened to you! I leave you for 10 seconds and you're a mess!"

I sweat drop and answer, "It was more than that... though it's fine Azul. You didn't get hurt and you were able to find everyone." "Av..." That's when I realized what- or should I say who- was the reason I felt warm this whole time since I got down. How could I miss him? He's my only pinked haired, fire spewing best friend! I slightly tease him when I notice the was he was looking at me, "What's wrong Natsu? Is Gray's ice finally getting you?" Instead of saying anything, Natsu pulls me into a tight hug, catching all of us off guard.

"Natsu...?" He pulls away, earning a concerned look from me. I was about to smile and tell him I'm fine in order to reassure him that there's nothing wrong with me, knowing how he freaks out whenever something like this happens to me, but there was something off with the way he was looking at me. "Eh? Natsu?" I peer closer to his face when he turns to look away, shame clouding his eyes as I took a better look at his eyes. "Gomen Av... I-I..." All of us were surprised at how quiet he was. "Natsu, what's wrong?" That's when I noticed that he wasn't the only one acting weird, everyone was just as silent as he was when they looked at my face.

"Is there something on my-" I wince in pain once I put a hand on my cheek, a slight sting emitted when I lightly touched the surface. I look down at his hand to see it was red. Shocked, I instantly took his hand and told him, "Natsu it's alright! I know you didn't mean it! You wouldn't hurt me unless you have a reason to!" He flinches a bit at my words. Azul nods in agreements as she nervously spoke up, "Y-Yeah! It's not like it's the first time you did!" Happy instantly covers her mouth, which she does as well after a short blush crosses her cheeks. "What she meant was that you only hurt her when she's freaking out!"

Now it was Azul's turn to covers his mouth with her other free hand. Lucy yells at the two in annoyance, "You two aren't helping at all!" "Cheer up Natsu! See? I stole Gray's underwear, and he hasn't even noticed yet!" I told him, abruptly taking out Gray's undies out of my pocket for everyone to see. "Wha-!? When did she-" unable to finish his sentence, Gray feels around on his pants only to stop and turn red in the face. He marches over and grabs his boxers from my hand. "Stop taking my boxers Av! It already took me hours to get my last pair from the flag pole!" he yells then runs off to put them back on in a secluded place.

I sweat drop, thinking, 'Did I forget to take them down again?' Lucy jaw drops and wonders out loud in amazement, "Seriously, when did she take his underwear!?" Happy shrugs while Azul lifts her chin up in pride, saying, "I taught her everything I know!" "No you didn't," I blurt out with a hollow expression. "Pfft..." We all turn our attention Natsu who suddenly starts to snicker a bit. "Bwahahahaha! I got you Av!" I blink at this. "Eh?"

-Lucy-

Avery pouts and starts to lightly pound on Natsu's chest, "Don't worry me like that! I actually thought you were depressed that you slapped me! Mou..." "Hahaha! Stop Av that tickles!" he continues to laugh while the girl continues to hit him. I sadly smile at the way Natsu was acting around Avery. "You noticed it too, huh?" I almost had a heart attack when Gray suddenly appeared at my side! Instead of saying anything, I just sigh and continued to watch the two as the wrestled with each other. It was as clear as day just by watching the two.

"Avery hides her pain from Natsu while he hides his guilt from her," Gray makes a fist as he continues, "it's like a never ending cycle between those two. They do whatever they can to make sure neither of them worry the other. Sometimes I wonder how dense those two can be. Especially her..." I put a hand close to my mouth and flash him a pleased smile, teasing him, "Oh? Is Gray actually jealous of his own rival?" Azul joins in on the fun, "Really Gray?" Happy covers his mouth with both paws to hide his own smile as he states, "Fufufu! Natsu will be please to know this!"

"Will you three quit it!?"

-Back to Me-

We all stare up at the demon, a shiver running down my spine just looking at the its face in what was probably its last reaction before being frozen in place. "Deliora..." Gray mutters. "This is a demon that was sealed away by your master?" Natsu asks him. I froze when he confirms, "Yeah, there's no doubt about it." Happy questions Gray as well, "So you're saying that it was brought here from the Northern Continent?" "Perhaps this demon has something to do with the curse on this island," Lucy suggest, causing Azul and I to gap at this sudden information. 'So that's what this mission is about,' I made a fist and glared up at the demon, 'just how many lives do you have to destroy Deliora?'

"That's certainly possible," Gray spoke up. "This demon is still alive, after all." "Gray..." I mutter, sensing something a little off about the way Gray is acting. "Wait Natsu-!" I gasp when I see Natsu walk up to Gray's side, stretching his right arm and pumps himself up for whatever he's going to do next. "Alright in that case, let's bust up this demon!" Natsu declares and wildly grins at what he's planning to do next. Lucy eyes Natsu's plan, "Why is force always your only solution?" I scratch my cheek and nervously answer, "That's what we were taught so..." Natsu reassures up, "Don't worry, just watch!"

"Tch!" Gray clicks his teeth and doesn't even think twice on punching Natsu, sending him flying back a bit. "Gray hit him!" Happy and Azul jaw drop and stare at him in shock. Lucy states, "It's not something unusual, but..." Natsu shot back up and held his bruised cheek, outraged at his rivals' uncalled action, "Bastard! What the hell was that for all of a sudden?" "You didn't have to hit him!" Natsu and I were taken off guard with the way Gray was looking at us. "Stay away from that ice, you ice mage!" he orders, his eyes reflecting how dead serious he was about this. " If that ice melts, Deliora is released, nobody will be able to stop it!"

Natsu stands up on his feet and starts to demand for answers. "Why? Would the ice melt that easily?" Gray stares at him with one last glare then sadly glances away from him. "No..." was his only answer. As Lucy walks up to Gray, I rush up to Natsu as she asks, "Are you okay?" Natsu lashes out, "Hey, I'm the one who was hit! What a barbarian!" Happy and I immediately blurt out, "You're one to talk, Natsu." I might have to ask them later what's exactly going on and what the mission is. "I can't believe this thing was dragged all the way here from the Northern continent..." Azul mutters in disbelief.

I shook my head and glanced down at the ground, my body shaking as I told her, "If there are really people trying to revive this hell raiser then it's possible. Humans with such intentions can do anything..." I must have said something to make Gray snap, because the next thing I knew I was grabbed by my tank top and lifted off the ground. "Gray!" everyone shouts. "Stop talking as if you know everything about humans... You don't know shit!" I was caught off guard at his sudden change of tone. 'Gray...?' "How can you say stuff like that when even you can't even consider yourself human!" he yells, causing me to freeze at his words.

I lower my head so my bangs could cover the hurt in my eyes. It's true, even though I was able to accept humans again, I still couldn't find the heart to consider myself human after the things I've done. I never told anyone this, except for Azul, but to know Gray was able to see this is something I never anticipated. I thought I was able to hide this truth from them. Lucy grabs his arm and she tries to make him let me go, "Stop it Gray! Think about what you're doing!" Happy grabs him by his hair as he cries out, "This isn't like you! You'd never hurt Avery!"

Azul joins in by trying to pry his hand off me, saying, "Avery didn't mean anything by it so don't take it like that!" Natsu runs up to us and quickly punches Gray in the face, forcing him to let me go as he stumbles on his feet. "Don't take it out on Av you idiot!" I fall to the ground on my knee's after Gray drops me, causing the rest to run up to me and check if I was alright. "We all remember what Avery was like before during that year... she was distant and hated us because of the fact that we're human... but still," Natsu glares up at Gray in fury, "we've all gotten past that now! Don't bring up unwanted crap!"

The moment I decided to glance up at the two, I instantly felt my heart skip a beat when I saw that familiar glow in Gray's eyes. "Natsu! Gray! Stop fighting!" I jumped in between as soon as I saw they were about to start another fight, something that none of us want in a place like this where we all could easily get caught. 'I'm sorry, but-' I knock both of them to the ground in one big punch, 'you both have to snap out of it!' Lucy, Happy, and Azul jaw drop as both boys fell down to the ground- hard. I pant hard as I straightened myself up.

My fist red after having to punch Natsu and Gray one at at time with the exact same speed and intensity- that I made sure both of them could handle without getting their heads blown off- just to stop them. "This is no time to fight guys! We need to remember why we're here, why we chose to accept this mission." Lucy stands up from her seat, asking me, "So then you'll help us!?" I turn and nod, "Mochiron! I was planning on bringing you guys back to the guild and finishing the mission I was supposed to take... but after seeing butt ugly again I guess I have no choice except to help you guys out."

"Yes! We're going to live!" Happy flies around in the air happily. I shot down his hopes by saying, "Though I won't help you guys once we get home." Everyone immediately gets depressed after telling them that. I sigh and shake my head, smiling as I walk over to the two who were still dizzy from the hit. I bent down to their level and extend a hand, apologetically smiling at them as I said, "Hope I didn't punch your all your brains out guys. I tried to hold back as best as I could." Natsu shakes his head a bit while still trying to recover from my nasty blow.

Gray, on the other hand, just sat on the ground gaping at me in shock. I thought for a second I took it too far and moved to pull my hand away only for Natsu to take my hand. He grins at me, making me feel relieved and cause my mouth to slowly twitch back into a smile. As I pulled him back up on his feet, he takes this chance to ruffle my hair. "Natsu!" I whine, pushing his hand away to fix my hair. "Hehehe! Nice hit though Av! You almost knocked me off my feet." 'I did knock you off your feet!'

I roll my eyes at this and lightly punch Natsu's arm, "Well you do have a thick skull. And I bet with all those punches your brain must be smooshed up in their." "Yeah I- Hey now," Natsu eyes me then starts ruffling my hair again.

-Gray-

While I sat there watching every surround Avery, I found myself staring at my friend in disbelief. 'She was holding back...' That thought kept repeating in my head again and again. Avery has always been stronger than me. No matter how many times she's denied this and claims how he or anyone else they know is stronger than her, she's always been the stronger one. 'And I took my anger and frustrations out on her... She must really hate me for saying those things to her.' Who would blame her? Natsu even punched me way harder than he usually would! I should know from personal experience.

"Gray? You okay?" I jolt in surprise when Avery suddenly appeared in front of me, crouching down on her knees as she glances at me with worried eyes. Behind her back was Natsu, trying to march up to us while Lucy and the two cats pull him back with all their might to stop him. I shook my head and got into indian position, saying, "Yeah I'm fine... just trying to wrap my head around all this." Avery pouts then suddenly moves to sit beside me. She crosses her arms as she stares up at the ceiling. "I understand exactly how you feel Gray, facing the very monster that destroyed everything you love... it really makes you want to remove it from existence."

That's exactly how I'm feeling! She smiles over at me when she sense my eyes on her. Except the one thing off about her was how sad she was smiling at me, even her eyes were smiling sadly at me.

"About hitting you..."  
"Nah don't worry about it! I've taken harder hits from flame brain compared to yours."  
"Mou! You both are the same! You keep saying how weak my punches are! Next time I won't go easy on you two..."  
"No! You'll blow my head off if you do!"

We both start laughing. I stop and stare at her as she smiles at me then looks over her shoulder to see what the others are doing. "Guess we have to wait here till something happens..." Avery voice drops, sounding a little bit depressed at the idea. I don't like the idea of staying near this thing either, but we have no other choice. I put a hand on her shoulder and glared up at the demon, telling her, "My master Ur, sealed this demon using a magic called Iced Shell. That's unmeltable ice. No matter what type of fire magic is used, that ice would never melt."

-Back to Me-

He slightly tightens his grip on my shoulder, concerning me even further as Gray grits his teeth and furrows his eyebrows. "If they knew it wouldn't melt, why have they brought it here?" Gray stands back on his feet. I stand up as well as the others walk up to get a closer look. "I don't know, but maybe they're trying to melt is somehow." Gray once again snaps, "What for!?" Lucy cowers away in fear, stuttering as she hides beside me, "I-I don't know!"

"I don't like this. Who brought Deliora here and what for?"

Natsu instantly comes up with an answer, "That's easy. We should just follow those guys from earlier." I nod in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing too! Who ever these guys are, they must really want to release Deloria." "No," interrupts the ice mage. "We'll wait here." "What for?" Happy asks. "We'll wait until the moon appears." I blink in surprise at Gray's shorthanded plan while Azul and Natsu point out, "The moon? But it's barely noon!" Natsu starts to light heartedly joke at the idea of waiting, "Muri, muri! I'd die of boredom!" I sweat drop, asking, "Don't you usually sleep when doing a stake out?"

"Gray, what are you planning?" Lucy worriedly asks. Gray deduces, "I think the curse of this island and the presence of Deloria is both related to the moon somehow. And those guys said, 'Soon we'll have collected enough moonlight'." "I see. I'm certainly curious about what they're trying to do and what will happen." I nod at Lucy's words and crossed my arms with a deep frown on my face. I'm curious too on what they were talking about while I was up there. All of my senses were so focused on Deliora's large spirit and my old memories taunting me all at the same, I didn't even think once on listening in on what those three were talking about.

"That's impossible for me! I'm going after them!" Natsu roars with tiny spew of flames coming out of his mouth. The next thing we knew he was already fast asleep. I sweat drop as Natsu snores loudly in his sleep, resting peacefully on my lap while Lucy sits across from me. Lucy and Azul blurt out, "Hayai." "Aye!"

+Later+

"Moon drip?" I repeat after hearing everything they know. Lucy nods, "It seems these guys are using it to release Deliora from it's prison. We don't really know why, but there must be a reason why they would do it!" "There's no reason! All they want is to release that demon and let it loose! I'm not letting my master's sacrifice go to waste!" Gray shot up on his feet and yells, punching to wall beside him to calm himself down. Remembering that I was here, he sits back down and glances away, glaring hard at the imprisoned demon. I've never seen Gray lose his cool like this.

'Hold on.. his master is the one that did this, right..? Don't tell me that-' The visions that I got earlier from that strange figure resurfaced in my mind. I cover my mouth as my eyes widen in pure shock, thinking, 'his master was the one from earlier. She was trying to tell me something, but what?' "Don't forget that the moon drip is also affecting the people as well! They're all turning into demons because of it!" Happy reminds them, causing everyone to look at him in shock. Azul scream in fear, "Demons!? Not more please!" "People turning into demons? But moon drip doesn't..." I decided not to push on this and just kept it to myself.

If that's what they believe, then I guess I shouldn't say anything about it until it's the right time. For now, I want everyone to focus on stopping those people from releasing Deliora.

"You should have seen that old man's sideburns! They're this long!" Natsu tells me in between laughs, moving his hands up and down to draw out how long they are. My eyes began to sparkle as my mind began to run wild on the multiple potentials it could have, if I could use the transformation magic Mira taught me- I could make it into one of the best pranks ever! I look over at Natsu, who was probably thinking the same thing, and flash him a flash grin. Just imagine- one moment old man is sitting in place then, out of nowhere, his remaining hair becomes as long as a woman's.

That would be the best thing ever! Natsu and I were just about to stand up and leave, until everyone must have noticed the look in our eyes and tackled us to the ground. "Hey let us go! We didn't do anything wrong!" Natsu yells as we both struggle to get out of the unexpected dog pile. "Not yet you haven't! I know you two! Every time either one of you gets that look in your eyes, someone ends up getting scarred for life!" yells the shirtless boy (seriously, how does he do that!) while roughly slamming Natsu back down.

Happy shivers, muttering, "Max could never sit properly after two weeks from that last one..." Azul let's go to clutch her heading, screaming at the memory, "Don't remind me Happy! No one should lose their butt Virginity like that!" I yelled back, defending myself, "I thought it would be funny seeing how every time a brawl ends he has a broom- or whatever stick-like object- coming out of his butt! And wasn't it your idea Azul?" She tenses up at this before lowering herself down to the ground, looking away with a pleased look in her eyes. I sweat drop, thinking, 'And there's our answer...'

"Welp! I'm going back to sleep!" And with that Natsu plops his head back on my lap. "This guy really lives on instinct, huh?" Lucy asks us. Happy nods, "That's Natsu for ya!" Azul puts her paws on her hips and adds, "I'm not surprised. Even Avery can be like this sometimes." "No I'm not!" I caught Lucy staring at me and gave out a nervous cough, silently going brushing Natsu's pink hair. "I'm going to sit over there," Gray informs us, walking closer to the ice burg and plops himself on a nearby rock. "I feel sorry for Gray..." Azul mutters as we all continue to watch him. I nod and sadly look down at Natsu's sleeping face.

"I know how he feels... when I was still with Reisswind, we never thought we'd ever encounter such a monster." "Oh yeah, you mentioned knowing Deloria earlier." I tensed a bit and tightly held the pink hair in my hand. With a deep sigh, I calmed myself down and let go of Natsu's hair.

"It was about 9 years ago. Reisswind and I flew a bit around the country so I could get a better insight of human life in case I were to leave her side one day-"

::Memory::

_I peacefully slept in Reisswind's hand as she lifts me closer to her face to nuzzle her nose against my cheek, staring down at me with loving eyes. The peaceful night didn't last long when, out of nowhere, a large hand reaches up from out of the clouds below us and roughly grabs the dragon by her tail. She roars, causing me to fully wake up and peek down at what was going on. Pulling us down by force, I held onto her hand for dear life as Reisswind protectively pulls me to her chest. I close my eyes in fear then slowly opened them up, my field of vision blurred with the sudden flash of orange. _

_I curl up in fear when I look around the land, fully engulfed in fire. Reisswind roars even louder when a large demon starts charging at us through the smoke, causing me to bury my face in her scales as she dodges the demon, nearly scratches by its claws. "Avery hold on-" I watch in horror as the demon suddenly appears in front of us, cross clawing at her neck. An x mark appears as blood began to spurt out. "Reisswind!" I gasp in fear. Unable to speak, she brings me over to her back so I could hold onto the safety of her feather-like scales. The large demon breathes, grinning in amusement as Reisswind prepares to fight back. _

_The fight seemed to went on for eons. As I continued to hold my grip on her scales, I open my eyes again to see that Reisswind was lying on her stomach, tired from fighting such a powerful foe. The demon raises his large fist up as it got closer to where we were. "No! I'm letting you touch her!" I stood up on my feet and jumped into the air. Reisswind silently cries out to me as I raise my arms up and created a large ball of storm winds, allowing it to mix with the hot air that surrounds us. "Ranryu no boreasu!" I threw it at the demon and watches as the energy of storm winds explode on contact. _

_After the large whirlwind clears, I fell back down to the ground only to be caught my Reisswind in a nick of time before I was about to land on a tree. Disappearing, we both watch as the demon stumbles backwards on its feet. A large crack forms on its right horn._

::End of Memory::

"I tried as best as I could to stop that thing, but I was too weak at the time to completely stop it. We barely made it out of there alive. If I had done something then..." I stopped myself so I could hold back the tears from coming out. If I had known it would do such a horrible thing to Gray, I would have ended its life right then and there if I wasn't so weak. A warm hand touches my cheek. I glance up to see Lucy, who was smiling at me in a reassuring manner, saying, "You couldn't have known Avery. Don't take responsibility for what's happened."

-Normal-

Two hooded strangers, one taller than the other, spoke with Zalty in the farthest part of the island, quietly talking to each other so no one could catch them. Zalty hands over a scroll, that had the mark of a Black Rose as a seal on it, to the hooded individual with a large grin on his face. "Are you sure she's here?" the person asks after reading the contents of the scroll. He raises his hands up, saying, "There is no way I am going near that thing! After what you've told me about her? It's no wonder you want her dead so badly." With on last look at Zalty, she lifts her hand up to signal her partner, giving him permission to leave.

"We'll send our regards to your... associate," she said, secretly smirking underneath her head at the last part. "The guild master will make sure to send the materials you'll need for your gate to heaven. But I must warn you, taking a step closer to that borderline of magic is dangerous even for the likes of mortals such as yourself. There are some kinds of magic that you should never mess with. Especially the kind of dark arts _he_ created for a certain purpose..." The masked man sneers at the girls warnings once she disappears into the shadows, "As if a creature like you would understand..."

The tall one quickly discards his cloak as it dashes into the deeper part of the forest, his body began to glow as he grew bigger and bigger the farther he went. The only thing that was still visible in the darkness was his sharp yellow eyes. "Avery Reinhart... Hehehe... we still haven't forgotten nor have we passed on," the girl puts a hand over her face as she slowly begins to laugh. Zalty shivers at the sudden change of atmosphere after the two left, looking up at the purple moon as the girl's words echoed in his mind.

_"But I must warn you, don't step too far into the borderline. There are some kinds of magic that you should never mess with. Especially the kind of dark arts he created for a certain purpose..."_

"Black Rose huh...? What a terrifying guild..." he mutters, walking back towards the temple ruins.

**To Be Continued**

**I've decided to rarely put japanese phrases or words that you can easily understand for two reasons, 1) because I keep forgetting to translate what they mean since I'm always tired every time I post them and 2) my stupid new laptop dies at 50% -_-. I already had to redo this chapter 10 times at the part where Avery is screaming her head off... Anyway sorry this and the last chapter were so short, my laptop really is pissing me off and I'm on the verge of buying a new one. So please R&amp;R! Hopefully I can continue the next one a bit longer after I get this thing fixed... Oh and happy halloween everyone! It's one in the morning on my end, but expect for my halloween release to come out soon! **

**Me: Sorry everyone for this! *bows* I had the two chapters cut in half so I can catch up with the dead line... But I combined both 7 and 8 together!  
Az: You're so mean! I barely got any screen time! TT^TT  
Me: You were in the corner hugging Happy to death whenever we called you both over... -_-****Az: Oh! I guess I did..ko**


	9. Chapter 8

_~Av's Intro~_

_Making a hundred friends is not a miracle._

_The miracle is to make a single friend_

_who will stand by your side even when_

_hundreds are against you._

* * *

**_~Chapter 8 - Moon Drip~_**

-Normal-

"Nooo! Stop it!" Avery continues to scream as the three leave the helpless girl behind, unbeknownst of the intruders waiting not too far from where they were. The moment he saw they were out of ear shot, Natsu jumps on his feet and dashes right below where Avery is hanging. "Oi Av! I'm right here! Av!" his cries only fell upon deaf ears as Avery continues to scream. "What's wrong with her?" Lucy gasps while watching Happy help Natsu up to free her. Gray creates a blanket of snow below the two just in case as he answers, "Avery has an intense fear of heights. Without her goggles on, she's completely helpless until someone gets be back down on the ground. But I've never seen her freak out this badly!"

Natsu raises a flaming fist punches the rock, making it slightly crack before it completely shatters into pieces. Avery falls but her eyes were glued onto the imprisoned demon. Azul see's this and quickly flies over her partner, catching her in time to slowly lower on the cold cushion of snow below. As the three run up to them, the snow settles down to allow Natsu to get a better look at Avery, who was having an inner struggle about something that was keeping her from reality. Natsu grabs her on both sides after seeing Avery began to quake in fear, trying snap her out of whatever's gotten her so cared. "Av snap out of it! AV!" he cries as he starts to shake her.

-Me-

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" I scream in fear as I continued to try and get out of Deloria's tight grip. Even though I was afraid of it, there was something warm wrapping around my body that sorta of felt... familiar for some odd reason. I watch as he raises a hand up, slowly bringing me closer to its disgusting face while the sound of familiar laughter fills the air, bringing me close to the brink of tears. "Iyaaaah!" Instead of a large hand, I felt a sudden sting on my right cheek as the dark world around dissolves back into the cave- my friends hovering over me as I began to slowly regain my senses.

"Avery-san! Are you okay?" Lucy question me, a look of worry flashes in her eyes as she goes on her knees to my level. "Lucy...?" "You had us worried there! You were all over the place when you were up in the air," Gray says, putting a hand on my arm and tightly squeezing it. "Gray...?" Happy hops up and down in joy, crying out, "Avery is alright now!" "Happy..." Azul floats over to me in tears, apologizing while trying not to cause a waterfall on me, "I'm sorry for leaving you Avery! I know you said it's okay to leave you... but look at what happened to you! I leave you for 10 seconds and you're a mess!"

I sweat drop and answer, "It was more than that... though it's fine Azul. You didn't get hurt and you were able to find everyone." "Av..." That's when I realized what- or should I say who- was the reason I felt warm this whole time since I got down. How could I miss him? He's my only pinked haired, fire spewing best friend! I slightly tease him when I notice the was he was looking at me, "What's wrong Natsu? Is Gray's ice finally getting you?" Instead of saying anything, Natsu pulls me into a tight hug, catching all of us off guard.

"Natsu...?" He pulls away, earning a concerned look from me. I was about to smile and tell him I'm fine in order to reassure him that there's nothing wrong with me, knowing how he freaks out whenever something like this happens to me, but there was something off with the way he was looking at me. "Eh? Natsu?" I peer closer to his face when he turns to look away, shame clouding his eyes as I took a better look at his eyes. "Sorry Av... I-I..." All of us were surprised at how quiet he was. "Natsu, what's wrong?" That's when I noticed that he wasn't the only one acting weird, everyone was just as silent as he was when they looked at my face.

"Is there something on my-" I wince in pain once I put a hand on my cheek, a slight sting emitted when I lightly touched the surface. I look down at his hand to see it was red. Shocked, I instantly took his hand and told him, "Natsu it's alright! I know you didn't mean it! You wouldn't hurt me unless you have a reason to!" He flinches a bit at my words. Azul nods in agreements as she nervously spoke up, "Y-Yeah! It's not like it's the first time you did!" Happy instantly covers her mouth, which she does as well after a short blush crosses her cheeks. "What she meant was that you only hurt her when she's freaking out!"

Now it was Azul's turn to covers his mouth with her other free hand. Lucy yells at the two in annoyance, "You two aren't helping at all!" "Cheer up Natsu! See? I stole Gray's underwear, and he hasn't even noticed yet!" I told him, abruptly taking out Gray's undies out of my pocket for everyone to see. "Wha-!? When did she-" unable to finish his sentence, Gray feels around on his pants only to stop and turn red in the face. He marches over and grabs his boxers from my hand. "Stop taking my boxers Av! It already took me hours to get my last pair from the flag pole!" he yells then runs off to put them back on in a secluded place.

I sweat drop, thinking, 'Did I forget to take them down again?' Lucy jaw drops and wonders out loud in amazement, "Seriously, when did she take his underwear!?" Happy shrugs while Azul lifts her chin up in pride, saying, "I taught her everything I know!" "No you didn't," I blurt out with a hollow expression. "Pfft..." We all turn our attention Natsu who suddenly starts to snicker a bit. "Bwahahahaha! I got you Av!" I blink at this. "Eh?"

-Lucy-

Avery pouts and starts to lightly pound on Natsu's chest, "Don't worry me like that! I actually thought you were depressed that you slapped me! Mou..." "Hahaha! Stop Av that tickles!" he continues to laugh while the girl continues to hit him. I sadly smile at the way Natsu was acting around Avery. "You noticed it too, huh?" I almost had a heart attack when Gray suddenly appeared at my side! Instead of saying anything, I just sigh and continued to watch the two as the wrestled with each other. It was as clear as day just by watching the two.

"Avery hides her pain from Natsu while he hides his guilt from her," Gray makes a fist as he continues, "it's like a never ending cycle between those two. They do whatever they can to make sure neither of them worry the other. Sometimes I wonder how dense those two can be. Especially her..." I put a hand close to my mouth and flash him a pleased smile, teasing him, "Oh? Is Gray actually jealous of his own rival?" Azul joins in on the fun, "Really Gray?" Happy covers his mouth with both paws to hide his own smile as he states, "Fufufu! Natsu will be please to know this!"

"Will you three quit it!?"

-Back to Me-

We all stare up at the demon, a shiver running down my spine just looking at the its face in what was probably its last reaction before being frozen in place. "Deliora..." Gray mutters. "This is a demon that was sealed away by your master?" Natsu asks him. I froze when he confirms, "Yeah, there's no doubt about it." Happy questions Gray as well, "So you're saying that it was brought here from the Northern Continent?" "Perhaps this demon has something to do with the curse on this island," Lucy suggest, causing Azul and I to gap at this sudden information. 'So that's what this mission is about,' I made a fist and glared up at the demon, 'just how many lives do you have to destroy Deliora?'

"That's certainly possible," Gray spoke up. "This demon is still alive, after all." "Gray..." I mutter, sensing something a little off about the way Gray is acting. "Wait Natsu-!" I gasp when I see Natsu walk up to Gray's side, stretching his right arm and pumps himself up for whatever he's going to do next. "Alright in that case, let's bust up this demon!" Natsu declares and wildly grins at what he's planning to do next. Lucy eyes Natsu's plan, "Why is force always your only solution?" I scratch my cheek and nervously answer, "That's what we were taught so..." Natsu reassures up, "Don't worry, just watch!"

"Tch!" Gray clicks his teeth and doesn't even think twice on punching Natsu, sending him flying back a bit. "Gray hit him!" Happy and Azul jaw drop and stare at him in shock. Lucy states, "It's not something unusual, but..." Natsu shot back up and held his bruised cheek, outraged at his rivals' uncalled action, "Bastard! What the hell was that for all of a sudden?" "You didn't have to hit him!" Natsu and I were taken off guard with the way Gray was looking at us. "Stay away from that ice, you fire mage!" he orders, his eyes reflecting how dead serious he was about this. "If that ice melts, Deliora is released, nobody will be able to stop it!"

Natsu stands up on his feet and starts to demand for answers. "Why? Would the ice melt that easily?" Gray stares at him with one last glare then sadly glances away from him. "No..." was his only answer. As Lucy walks up to Gray, I rush up to Natsu as she asks, "Are you okay?" Natsu lashes out, "Hey, I'm the one who was hit! What a barbarian!" Happy and I immediately blurt out, "You're one to talk, Natsu." I might have to ask them later what's exactly going on and what the mission is. "I can't believe this thing was dragged all the way here from the Northern continent..." Azul mutters in disbelief.

I shook my head and glanced down at the ground, my body shaking as I told her, "If there are really people trying to revive this hell raiser then it's possible. Humans with such intentions can do anything..." I must have said something to make Gray snap, because the next thing I knew I was grabbed by my tank top and lifted off the ground. "Gray!" everyone shouts. "Stop talking as if you know everything about humans... You don't know shit!" I was caught off guard at his sudden change of tone. 'Gray...?' "How can you say stuff like that when even you can't even consider yourself human!" he yells, causing me to freeze at his words.

I lower my head so my bangs could cover the hurt in my eyes. It's true, even though I was able to accept humans again, I still couldn't find the heart to consider myself human after the things I've done. I never told anyone this, except for Azul, but to know Gray was able to see this is something I never anticipated. I thought I was able to hide this truth from them. Lucy grabs his arm and she tries to make him let me go, "Stop it Gray! Think about what you're doing!" Happy grabs him by his hair as he cries out, "This isn't like you! You'd never hurt Avery!"

Azul joins in by trying to pry his hand off me, saying, "Avery didn't mean anything by it so don't take it like that!" Natsu runs up to us and quickly punches Gray in the face, forcing him to let me go as he stumbles on his feet. "Don't take it out on Avery you idiot!" I fall to the ground on my knee's after Gray drops me, causing the rest to run up to me and check if I was alright. "We all remember what Avery was like before during that year... she was distant and hated us because of the fact that we're human... but still," Natsu glares up at Gray in fury, "we've all gotten past that now! Don't bring up unwanted crap!"

The moment I decided to glance up at the two, I instantly felt my heart skip a beat when I saw that familiar glow in Gray's eyes. "Natsu! Gray! Stop fighting!" I jumped in between as soon as I saw they were about to start another fight, something that none of us want in a place like this where we all could easily get caught. 'Gomen ne... demo-' I knock both of them to the ground in one big punch, 'you both have to snap out of it!' Lucy, Happy, and Azul jaw drop as both boys fell down to the ground- hard. I pant hard as I straightened myself up.

My fist red after having to punch Natsu and Gray one at at time with the exact same speed and intensity- that I made sure both of them could handle without getting their heads blown off- just to stop them. "This is no time to fight guys! We need to remember why we're here, why we chose to accept this mission." Lucy stands up from her seat, asking me, "So then you'll help us!?" I turn and nod, "Mochiron! I was planning on bringing you guys back to the guild and finishing the mission I was supposed to take... but after seeing butt ugly again I guess I have no choice except to help you guys out."

"Yes! We're going to live!" Happy flies around in the air happily. I shot down his hopes by saying, "Though I won't help you guys once we get home." Everyone immediately gets depressed after telling them that. I sigh and shake my head, smiling as I walk over to the two who were still dizzy from the hit. I bent down to their level and extend a hand, apologetically smiling at them as I said, "Hope I didn't punch your all your brains out guys. I tried to hold back as best as I could." Natsu shakes his head a bit while still trying to recover from my nasty blow.

Gray, on the other hand, just sat on the ground gaping at me in shock. I thought for a second I took it too far and moved to pull my hand away only for Natsu to take my hand. He grins at me, making me feel relieved and cause my mouth to slowly twitch back into a smile. As I pulled him back up on his feet, he takes this chance to ruffle my hair. "Natsu!" I whine, pushing his hand away to fix my hair. "Hehehe! Nice hit though Av! You almost knocked me off my feet." 'I did knock you off your feet!'

I roll my eyes at this and lightly punch Natsu's arm, "Well you do have a thick skull. And I bet with all those punches your brain must be smooshed up in their." "Yeah I- Hey now," Natsu eyes me then starts ruffling my hair again.

-Gray-

While I sat there watching every surround Avery, I found myself staring at my friend in disbelief. 'She was holding back...' That thought kept repeating in my head again and again. Avery has always been stronger than me. No matter how many times she's denied this and claims how he or anyone else they know is stronger than her, she's always been the stronger one. 'And I took my anger and frustrations out on her... She must really hate me for saying those things to her.' Who would blame her? Natsu even punched me way harder than he usually would! I should know from personal experience.

"Gray? You okay?" I jolt in surprise when Avery suddenly appeared in front of me, crouching down on her knees as she glances at me with worried eyes. Behind her back was Natsu, trying to march up to us while Lucy and the two cats pull him back with all their might to stop him. I shook my head and got into indian position, saying, "Yeah I'm fine... just trying to wrap my head around all this." Avery pouts then suddenly moves to sit beside me. She crosses her arms as she stares up at the ceiling. "I understand exactly how you feel Gray, facing the very monster that destroyed everything you love... it really makes you want to remove it from existence."

That's exactly how I'm feeling! She smiles over at me when she sense my eyes on her. Except the one thing off about her was how sad she was smiling at me, even her eyes were smiling sadly at me.

"About hitting you..."  
"Nah don't worry about it! I've taken harder hits from flame brains compared to yours."  
"Mou! You both are the same! You keep saying how weak my punches are! Next time I won't go easy on you two..."  
"No! You'll blow my head off if you do!"

We both start laughing. I stop and stare at her as she smiles at me then looks over her shoulder to see what the others are doing. "Guess we have to wait here till something happens..." Avery voice drops, sounding a little bit depressed at the idea. I don't like the idea of staying near this thing either, but we have no other choice. I put a hand on her shoulder and glared up at the demon, telling her, "My master Ur, sealed this demon using a magic called Iced Shell. That's unmeltable ice. No matter what type of fire magic is used, that ice would never melt."

-Back to Me-

He slightly tightens his grip on my shoulder, concerning me even further as Gray grits his teeth and furrows his eyebrows. "If they knew it wouldn't melt, why have they brought it here?" Gray stands back on his feet. I stand up as well as the others walk up to get a closer look. "I don't know, but maybe they're trying to melt is somehow." Gray once again snaps, "What for!?" Lucy cowers away in fear, stuttering as she hides beside me, "I-I don't know!"

"I don't like this. Who brought Deliora here and what for?"

Natsu instantly comes up with the answer, "That's easy. We should just follow those guys from earlier." I nod in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing too. Who ever these guys are, they must really want to release Deloria." "No," interrupts the ice mage. "We'll wait here." "What for?" Happy asks. "We'll wait until the moon appears." I blink in surprise at Gray's shorthanded plan while Azul and Natsu point out, "The moon? But it's barely noon!" Natsu starts to light heartedly joke at the idea of waiting, "Muri, muri! I'd die of boredom!" I sweat drop, asking, "Don't you usually sleep when doing a stake out?"

"Gray, what are you planning?" Lucy worriedly asks. Gray deduces, "I think the curse of this island and the presence of Deloria is both related to the moon somehow. And those guys said, 'Soon we'll have collected enough moonlight'." "I see. I'm certainly curious about what they're trying to do and what will happen." I nod at Lucy's words and crossed my arms with a deep frown on my face. I'm curious too on what they were talking about while I was up there. All of my senses were so focused on Deliora's large spirit and my old memories taunting me all at the same, I didn't even think once on listening in on what those three were talking about.

"That's impossible for me! I'm going after them!" Natsu roars with tiny spew of flames coming out of his mouth. The next thing we knew he was already fast asleep. I sweat drop as Natsu snores loudly in his sleep, resting peacefully on my lap while Lucy sits across from me. Lucy and Azul blurt out, "Hayai." "Aye!"

+Later+

"Moon drip?" I repeat after hearing everything they know. Lucy nods, "It seems these guys are using it to release Deliora from it's prison. We don't really know why, but there must be a reason why they would do it!" "There's no reason! All they want is to release that demon and let it loose! I'm not letting my master's sacrifice go to waste!" Gray shot up on his feet and yells, punching to wall beside him to calm himself down. Remembering that I was here, he sits back down and glances away, glaring hard at the imprisoned demon. I've never seen Gray lose his cool like this.

'Hold on.. his master is the one that did this, right..? Don't tell me that-' The visions that I got earlier from that strange figure resurfaced in my mind. I cover my mouth as my eyes widen in pure shock, thinking, 'his master was the one from earlier. She was trying to tell me something, but what?' "Don't forget that the moon drip is also affecting the people as well! They're all turning into demons because of it!" Happy reminds them, causing everyone to look at him in shock. Azul scream in fear, "Demons!? Not more please!" "People turning into demons? But moon drip doesn't..." I decided not to push on this and just kept it to myself.

If that's what they believe, then I guess I shouldn't say anything about it until it's the right time. For now, I want everyone to focus on stopping those people from releasing Deliora.

"You should have seen that old man's sideburns! They're this long!" Natsu tells me in between laughs, moving his hands up and down to draw out how long they are. My eyes began to sparkle as my mind began to run wild on the multiple potentials it could have, if I could use the transformation magic Mira taught me- I could make it into one of the best pranks ever! I look over at Natsu, who was probably thinking the same thing, and flash him a flash grin.

Just imagine- one moment old man is sitting in place then, out of nowhere, his remaining hair becomes as long as a woman's. That would be the best thing ever! Natsu and I were just about to stand up and leave, until everyone must have noticed the look in our eyes and tackled us to the ground. "Hey let us go! We didn't do anything wrong!" Natsu yells as we both struggle to get out of the unexpected dog pile. "Not yet you haven't! I know you two! Every time either one of you gets that look in your eyes, someone ends up getting scarred for life!" yells the shirtless boy (seriously, how does he do that!) while roughly slamming Natsu back down.

Happy shivers, muttering, "Max could never sit properly after two weeks from that last one..." Azul let's go to clutch her heading, screaming at the memory, "Don't remind me Happy! No one should lost their butt Virginity like that!" I yelled back, defending myself, "I thought it would be funny seeing how every time a brawl ends he has a broom- or whatever stick-like object- coming out of his butt! And wasn't it your idea Azul?" She tenses up at this before lowering herself down to the ground, looking away with a pleased look in her eyes. I sweat drop, thinking, 'And there's our answer...'

"Welp! I'm going back to sleep!" And with that Natsu plops his head back on my lap. "This guy really lives on instinct, huh?" Lucy asks us. Happy nods, "That's Natsu for ya!" Azul puts her paws on her hips and adds, "I'm not surprise. Even Avery can be like this sometimes." "No I'm not!" I caught Lucy staring at me and gave out a nervous cough, silently going brushing Natsu's pink hair. "I'm going to sit over there," Gray informs us, walking closer to the ice burg and plops himself on a nearby rock. "I feel sorry for Gray..." Azul mutters as we all continue to watch him. I nod and sadly look down at Natsu's sleeping face.

"I know how he feels... when I was still with Reisswind, we never thought we'd ever encounter such a monster." "Oh yeah, you mentioned knowing Deloria earlier." I tensed a bit and tightly held the pink hair in my hand. With a deep sigh, I calmed myself down and let go of Natsu's hair.

"It was about 9 years ago. Reisswind and I flew a bit around the country so I could get a better insight of human life in case I were to leave her side one day-"

::Memory::

_I peacefully slept in Reisswind's hand as she lifts me closer to her face to nuzzle her nose against my cheek, staring down at me with loving eyes. The peaceful night didn't last long when, out of nowhere, a large hand reaches up from out of the clouds below us and roughly grabs the dragon by her tail. She roar, causing me to fully wake up and peek down at what was going on. Pulling us down by force, I held onto her hand for dear life as Reisswind protectively pulls me to her chest. I close my eyes in fear then slowly opened them up, my field of vision blurred with the sudden flash of orange. _

_I curl up in fear when I look around the land, fully engulfed in fire. Reisswind roars even louder when a large demon starts charging at us through the smoke, causing me to bury my face in her scales as she dodges the demon, nearly scratches by its claws. "Avery hold on-" I watch in horror as the demon suddenly appears in front of us, cross clawing at her neck. An x mark appears as blood began to spurt out. "Reisswind!" I gasp in fear. Unable to speak, she brings me over to her back so I could hold onto the safety of her feather-like scales. The large demon breathes, grinning in amusement as Reisswind prepares to fight back. _

_The fight seemed to went on for eons. As I continued to hold my grip on her scales, I open my eyes again to see that Reisswind was lying on her stomach, tired from fighting such a powerful foe. The demon raises his large fist up as it got closer to where we were. "No! I'm letting you touch her!" I stood up on my feet and jumped into the air. Reisswind silently cries out to me as I raise my arms up and created a large ball of storm winds, allowing it to mix with the hot air that surrounds us. "Furyu no boreasu!" I threw it at the demon and watches as the energy of storm winds explode on contact. _

_After the large whirlwind clears, I fell back down to the ground only to be caught my Reisswind in a nick of time before I was about to land on a tree. Disappearing, we both watch as the demon stumbles backwards on its feet. A large crack forms on its right horn._

::End of Memory::

"I tried as best as I could to stop that thing, but I was too weak at the time to completely stop it. We barely made it out of there alive. If I had done something then..." I stopped myself so I could hold back the tears from coming out. If I had know it would do such a horrible thing to Gray, I would have ended its life right then and there if I wasn't so weak. A warm hand touches my cheek. I glance up to see Lucy, who was smiling at me in a reassuring manner, saying, "You couldn't have known Avery. Don't take responsibility for what's happened."

-Normal-

Two hooded strangers, one taller than the other, spoke with Zalty in the farthest part of the island, quietly talking to each other so no one could catch them. Zalty hands over a scroll, that had the mark of a Black Rose as a seal on it, to the hooded individual with a large grin on his face. "Are you sure she's here?" the person asks after reading the contents of the scroll. He raises his hands up, saying, "There is no way I am going near that thing! After what you've told me about her? It's no wonder you want her dead so badly." With on last look at Zalty, she lifts her hand up to signal her partner, giving him permission to leave.

"We'll send our regards to your... associate," she said, secretly smirking underneath her head at the last part. "The guild master will make sure to send the materials you'll need for your gate to heaven. But I must warn you, taking a step closer to that borderline of magic is dangerous even for the likes of mortals such as yourself. There are some kinds of magic that you should never mess with. Especially the kind of dark arts _he_ created for a certain purpose..." The masked man sneers at the girls warnings once she disappears into the shadows, "As if a creature like you would understand..."

The tall one quickly discards his cloak as it dashes into the deeper part of the forest, his body began to glow as he grew bigger and bigger the farther he went. The only thing that was still visible in the darkness was his sharp yellow eyes. "Avery Reinhart... Hehehe... we still haven't forgotten nor have we passed on," the girl puts a hand over her face as she slowly begins to laugh. Zalty shivers at the sudden change of atmosphere after the two left, looking up at the purple moon as the girl's words echoed in his mind.

_"But I must warn you, don't step too far into the borderline. There are some kinds of magic that you should never mess with. Especially the kind of dark arts he created for a certain purpose..."_

"Black Rose huh...? What a terrifying guild..." he mutters, walking back towards the temple ruins.

**To Be Continued**

**I've decided to rarely put japanese phrases or words that you can easily understand for two reasons, 1) because I keep forgetting to translate what they mean since I'm always tired every time I post them and 2) my stupid new laptop dies at 50% -_-. I already had to redo this chapter 10 times at the part where Avery is screaming her head off... Anyway sorry this and the last chapter were so short, my laptop really is pissing me off and I'm on the verge of buying a new one. So please R&amp;R! Hopefully I can continue the next one a bit longer after I get this thing fixed... Oh and happy halloween everyone! It's one in the morning on my end, but expect for my halloween release to come out soon! **


	10. Chapter 9

_~Av's Intro~_

_'My past isn't something I'm proud of._

_Every time I look at the mirror, I'm always_

_constantly reminded of the things I've done. _

_But I won't let that get to me! I need to- No..._

_I want to protect the ones I loved! Especially_

_him...'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 9 - Little Red and Her Beast~_**

-Me-

+11 years ago+

Trying my best to stand at the edge of the cliff without flying away, I tried to use as much of my magic to create a small storm of my own to push away the huge one in front of us. "Don't fight off the storm Avery! Try to become one with it and avert it away from where you stand!" Reisswind instructs me from behind, standing firmly in place while I struggle to stand my ground. The storm was too big for me to control. Even if I could avert the storm away like Reisswind wants me to, just by looking at how dark the skies are and the number of lighting that continues to strike the earth below made me hesitate more and more.

'There's no way I can move this storm!' I thought in fear as I slowly started to lose focus on what I was doing. A sudden lightning bolt strikes the ground to my right, almost catching me off guard and made me lose focus on what I was doing in that moment. "Avery!" Reisswind yelps behind my back. I immediately sensed something and quickly dodged as the tall tree beside me suddenly falls to the ground a blazed. "Eek!" I bit my lip, enough to make it bleed, as I tried to regain control over the storm. It seemed to calm down for one moment then started sending strong hail all around the land.

Reisswind shields me with her wing so I won't get hit by the numerous lumps of ice. I felt a sweat drop form on the side of my head when I saw the changes I had on the storm. "Oops... my bad..." I mutter out loud. Instead of stopping a thunderstorm, I accidentally changed it into a hail storm after nearly getting crushed by that burning tree. When Reisswind brings her head under her wing to look at me directly, I almost thought she was going to scowl me again only to feel her lightly nuzzle her snout against my cheek.

She reassures me with warm and loving eyes, "Don't worry Avery, you're just getting the hang of it. Soon you'll not be able to master control over storms, but use it in combat to protect yourself and the ones you love."

+Present+  
||Runes||

It's been hours since we first came down here. Thankfully, no one has decided to come down here just yet. I want everyone to cool their minds a bit before facing the people who are trying to release Deloria, especially after what happened earlier. I couldn't help but look around to see how they were holding up. Lucy was hugging herself in fear while trying to hold a conversation with Happy and Azul. Gray still sat by the frozen Deliora, just so he could try and figure out why someone would want to free the demon at the same time keep a better eye on the demon.

Hearing the familiar loud snore below me, I warmly smile down at Natsu as he continues to snooze on my lap. Reaching down for his hair, I played around the end on one of the spikes with my fingers. 'Except for Natsu, everyone's on edge right now. I thought this was a simple mere S-Class mission but,' I glanced over at the ice wizard with sad eyes, 'this is more like a road to redemption for some of us. I was hoping Deliora would be one of the few demons I'd have to come face to face with when I collected the rest. Lullaby was nothing. This one is on a whole other level...' "So bored... Oh I know!" I was a little bit surprised when Lucy suddenly gets up on her feet.

She brings out a silver key and chants, "Open! Gate of the harp! Lyra!" Accompanied with the sound of a doorbell, I smile in glee to see that not only was Lucy summoning any another spirit, but another that I know very well. In a puff of smoke was Lyra, waving her hand happily as she greets her contractor, "Yo1 It's been a while Lucy!" "Lyra!" I squeal, completely forgetting the boy in my lap and quickly got up to the spirit. Lyra tilts her head in confusion then instantly recognizes me. "Avery! It's been sooooo long!" We both held hands and tearfully pull each other in a tight hug the next moment, causing everyone to stare at us with wide eyes.

"What the heck Av-! Wha?" Natsu sits up and starts to complain only to jaw drop at the brightness that surrounds us two girls. I pull away and ask the young girl, still holding both her hands in mine, "You're under contract with Lucy! That's so cool! How come you never told me about it?" "You were a little kid the last time I saw you remember?" Lyra reminds me. "Besides she never summons me! I want to be more useful to her! Lucy, you're such a meanie!" she complains, pouting in the direction of the blonde behind us. I turn around to follow her complain only to burst out laughing at the look Lucy, Happy, and Natsu were giving us.

"What the- How the- Since when have-" I interrupt Lucy to save her from losing her mind at the situation, "Lyra and me have been good friends for a long time! We've known each other since I was little. But man it's been forever since we last saw each other! You should have told me Lucy you had Lyra with you as one of your tomodachi!" "Ne? She's such meanie!" Lyra floats closer to the girl and eyes her. "What do you mean a meanie? I can only summon you three times a month.," Lucy reminds her, making Lyra freeze as the realization dawns on her.

Lyra mutters in shock, "Eh..!? Really!?" "Another weird one," Happy comments. Azul nods as she adds, "At least he's better that that crabby hair dresser..." "Never mind that! How is it you know Lyra, Avery? You can't be a spirit mage too..." crossing her arms and eyes us, Lucy raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Ah! You see..." I back away a bit as I raise my hands up in the air, trying to figure out the proper way to explain myself without getting caught. Lyra nervously changes the subject, "How about I do what you summoned me for Lucy? I don't want to waste any precious time while I'm still time!"

"O-okay..." Lucy was still lost as to what happened. Lyra turns and gives me a thumbs up. "Ne! What song would you like me to sing today?" Lyra asks, excited to play her harp for us. "Anything is fine. It's your decision," Lucy says. Happy makes a typical request, "I want a song about fish!" "And love!" blurts out Azul as she hugs the blue cats arm, hearts once again flying out of her. Lyra gives us a thumbs up and exclaims in a hyper manner, "Then I'll just sing whatever I want! Yay!" "Lyra is a amazing singer!" comments the girls while plopping herself beside me.

I smile and rest my chin in my hands, saying, "She's really good at making up songs on the spot." Happy makes a comment again, "Mira is good too. And she sings me songs about fish!" I sweat drop and said, "That's the only thing you ever request from anyone Happy..." "Aye sir!" he answers me, beaming with pride. Once the harp started to play, we all started to quiet down and listen to her

Umareru kotoba  
Kieyuku kotoba  
Anata no naka ni  
Ikitsuzukeru kotoba

I flinch at the start of the lyrics, putting a hand close to my chest as I gaze down at the floor with sad eyes. Something inside me told me to look in Gray's direction, who seemed to be conflicted as Lyra continues to sing her melody to us.

::Memory::

_Holding my hands up in the air, I close my eyes as felt the wind around me pick us as a small ball of dark winds began to form above me. One small snap behind my back made me lose concentration and made the storm ball explode in a large blast that was enough to cause most of the tree's around me to be pushed down to the ground. I was thrown back only for Reisswind to catch me. Nervous, I look up expecting her to be mad at the mess I made only for her to nuzzle her snout against my cheek, earning a small giggle from me and a big hug on her face. She stands up straight as I continued to hug her face._

Tachidomari sono toki  
Yuuki he to kawaru  
Saa arukidasou  
Ano toki yori  
Anata wa  
Tsuyoku natteiru kara

::Next Memory::

_I sat in the guild in my usual spot, tugging my bangs to hide my face whenever any human passes by me and gains the nerve to glance over at me. Whenever one does, I would either send them flying or send a piece of object flying at them. I felt a finger tap my shoulder. I took a deep long breath once I caught the scent of the OTHER dragon slayer behind me, slowly turning with an annoyed look in my eyes when I face the boy. Natsu simply grins at me and held his hand out at me. I glare down at his hand then look over his shoulder to see the other kids watching from a fair distance away, some hiding in fear of what I'll do._

_Seeing him smile like that almost made me snap. I huff, cross my arms and turn away from the boy. Instead of leaving like I expected him to, I was surprised to hear the sound of a moving chair behind me. I quickly turn only to have Natsu's face inches from mine. I back away in shock at his sudden appearance, putting a hand against my beating chest as he continues to grin at me. _

Mou mayowanaide  
Ano toki no kotoba wo  
Shinjite

::Final Memory::

_As I was carried away from the blazing scene, I reach out for Reisswind as she lets out a large roar. I helplessly watch as she falls down slowly falls down on her side, completely disappearing from sight. I hit my fist against the large red scaly foot, trying to free myself to help save Reisswind. But it was no use. The sound of human voices were heard while Reisswinds' final cry echo and mix in the distance the farther we flew away. Even though she sometimes refuse to let me call her that, I called out to her in tears, "Mom!"_

::End of Memory::

I put a hand to my face and gritted my teeth, tears starting to escape my eyes. "Tch!" I was surprised when we heard Gray all of a sudden. "H-Hey, Gray!" Lucy gasps as everyone snaps their heads in his direction. "Huh? What is it?" Gray asks us while trying to hold back more his tears from coming out. "He's crying," Happy says, concerned to see the two of us crying all of a sudden. Lucy puts a hand close to her mouth as she silently said to us, "Lyra does have the power to sing songs that reflect what's in people hearts, but..." "_Gray_ is crying," Happy says out loud again.

"No, I'm not!"  
"Sing something more cheerful, Lyra!"  
"Eh? You should have told me before."

I tried to wipe my tears away only for Azul to catch me, "Avery! You okay?" I successfully wipe them all away and smile down at Azul as she flies into my arms, reassuring her, "I'm fine... It's nothing..." Natsu must have heard this with the way he suddenly shot up and quickly rushed over to me. "Av what is it!? Did Azul say something stupid to you again?" he questions me. "Why me!?" Azul yells. Lyra instantly apologizes, "Wah goman Avery! I didn't mean to make you cry!" "I think I got a hanky here!" Lucy frantically searches in her pocket so I could wipe my tears away.

Happy floats over and asks me with worried eyes, "Avery? Are you crying too?" "I'm fine guys! I-" I caught Gray's stares over Natsu's shoulder, gazing at me with wide eyes only for him to turn away. "Don't hide anything from me Av..." I was surprised when the dragon slayer leans in closer to me. "You know I can tell when you're hiding something from me." I shake my head, "No it's nothing I just- remembered a few things that I didn't want to remember..." Feeling slightly tired from crying so much, I lean my head against Natsu's chest and secretly inhale his scent without letting anyone notice this.

Every time I smelt his ash fire scent, I've always felt at ease whenever I smell his scent. I never told anyone- especially Natsu- about this or they would start to get the wrong idea. Azul knows but I made sure that she wouldn't tell a single soul, even to Happy. Sensing someone was staring at me at the side, I turn my head only to see Azul, grinning at me as her eyes twinkled in amusement and tries to hold back from snickering. My face immediately lights up hot pink in embarrassment. I brought Natsu closer to me so I could bury my head in his chest to hide my reaction, tightly gripping onto his waistcoat.

'Damn you Azul...! You're enjoying this!' my thoughts scream while I restrain myself from saying anything else.

+Later+

Things seems to quite down a bit. Almost everyone was fast asleep after getting tired from waiting, Natsu and Azul were on my lap so I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to. I couldn't help myself from taking a short glance at Deliora. (Me: I keep calling him Deloria! XD Damn it!) It brought so many dark memories just looking at the thing, and after hearing what happened to Gray, it makes me almost indirectly responsible for all that's happened. I brought my hand over to my right arm and clutched it, thinking negatively, 'If I had the strength back then to kill it... none of this would have happened... Gray lost everything because of Deliora. Now that it's here, not only him but everyone else is in danger thanks to me.'

Natsu twist and turns as he mumbles in his sleep, "Give me that back Happy... I promised Av I wouldn't... *snore*" I giggle at this and adjust myself so my forehead could rest against Natsu's, smiling as I listened to his snores. Others may find it annoying but I don't really mind it though, he's always snuck into my bed so I actually find it soothing in a way. That also would explain why I always felt calm whenever I smell his scent. "Av... sorry... I was the one who burnt that dress you were making..." "Eh?" I pull away and stare down at him in bewilderment.

"I burnt it... and ate its fire..." I slowly held my fist up as I felt anger start to boil up inside me, my eyes blazing with fire to show how upset and betrayed to learn the truth this way. "Why you... Natsu!" My first was almost about to reach his face when the ground and the ceiling shaking all around us. "What is-" I gap as a purple magic array forms right above where the imprisoned Deloria stood. Lucy sits up and rubs her eyes, asking, "What is that sound?" Natsu instantly sat up screaming in surprise, "Is it night!?"

I put a hand to my chest and said, "Light coming from the ceiling..." Gray stands up and watches as the light glows brighter. "Violet light... It's the moonlight!" Azul wakes up as Happy flies over to where Gray is, shaking the sleep off and stands beside Happy. "What's that!? What the hell is going in!" Happy frantically dodges as a piece of rock falls down and nearly hits him. Azul nervously gulps, "Is this what moon drip looks like..?" Once Natsu gets off my lap, I moved to stand up until I felt my heart painfully beat hard against my chest.

It almost felt like my own heart was right next to both my ears. _"Nee-san..." _Half of a girls face appears at the back of my mind, accompanied with the loud sound of church bells deafening my surroundings. I reach up to where my heart is with shaky hands and tightly held the cloth of my black top. 'This feeling... where did I feel it before?' The voice spoke again, except it sounded much closer than before.

-Normal-

As the everyone rushes to the up the stairwell towards the top of the ruins, Natsu comes to a complete stop and sniffs the air. "Av...?" Happy and Azul stop as well and look back at Natsu in confusion. He looks over his shoulder to find that the girl was no where in sight. "Av!" Right as he was about to move to go back down for Avery, the ceiling above him suddenly cracks then starts to collapse right above his head. "Natsu look out!" Happy cries out as he tries to grab his friend. Azul beats him by zooming past him and then Natsu, pushing the boy back far enough so that the rubble would fall between them.

"Azul..? Hey you alright!" Natsu calls out. She answers back as loud as she could from the other side, "I'm alright guys!" "Hold on! Natsu and I will-" Azul interrupts Happy, "Don't worry about me! Just go after the others and stop whoever is doing this! This is what Avery would want!" "But-" Happy puts his paw on Natsu's shoulder. He looks down at the blue paw then up at his partner who was fighting back tears, trying his best to act strong. Natsu sighs in defeat, "Got it... We'll go Azul! Make sure to take care of Av for me then! I'm counting on you!"

Once Azul heard their running footsteps fade away, she turns around and hurries back down to Avery. 'Avery... you've been acting weird since we got on this island... what's going on!?' her thoughts scream as she descends further down into the depth's of the lower ruins.

-Back to Me-

_"Nee-san... asobou yo..." _I shut my eyes, hoping for the voice to go away. 'Stop it...' A flash "Avery!" I snapped back to reality and looked up in surprise to see Azul hovering directly in front of my face. "Where did the others go?" I ask, noticing how we were the only ones here. Azul gazes off at the direction where they went and says, "The others ran off after the moons light started to shine down on Deliora. Natsu was the first to notice you weren't with us and was about to go after you, but I pushed him away with in started to cave in a bit from the shaking earlier."

I couldn't help but feel anxious when I heard that last part. I got up on my feet with wobbily legs and said, "We should get going Azul. I have a bad feeling about this, and it's not just Deliora and Moon Drip. These guess are a part of a dark guild, so it's a little bit impossible a small group of wizards could bring ugly all the way out here." "And you're absolutely right." My instincts quickly kicked in. I swirled around and grabbed Azul in time before a giant large hairy hand could hit her. "Furyu no Boreasu!" I watch as the tiny ball hits the large creature, sending it flying mid air then watch as a giant whirlwind appears in the explosion.

"You held back..." Azul mutters as I let her go. "If I used the same amount as I usually give on my enemies then this whole place might collapse," I explained to her. She sighs and shakes her head, muttering out loud, "But you still hold back even dark guild wizards..." I didn't answer.

-Azul-

This is the side of Avery only I get to see. She may be playful, cheerful, innocent sometimes, and can be a bit childish, but during the classified S-Class missions Avery is very serious and doesn't take anything lightly. There's this dark emotionless mask that she wears outside the guild and home. Only when talking to me, Natsu and the others when using the communicator lacrima she gave one of them, and to people in the various towns and villages we pass by would Avery have a smile on her face. From the pictures Reedus showed me about how Avery was like before I was born, it almost scared me to see that same emotionless mask on Avery at the time.

That is why sometimes I wonder, which is the real Avery. Happy told me once that Avery did act like that once during a mission with only Natsu as her partner. It did explain a bit why Natsu got even more protective of her after they got back. Avery lifts her head up, glaring at the ceiling for a bit then yells, "Get out of the way!" I didn't react fast enough in time. I tried to fly out of the way, but it all happened so fast. A long chain suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pierced one of my wings, causing my aera magic to instantly dispel. "Agh!" I could barely keep myself from rolling on the ground when I tried to hold onto something to stop me.

"Azul!" Avery jumps in front of me just as multiple chains suddenly came right at us in one straight line, pushing hard against Avery. She had both arms raised in an X and tries to create a storm barrier. "Hold onto something Azul!" she orders me.

-Back to Me-

I split the barrier fast enough so I could force the long pillar of chains to split apart, sending them in different directions. "Looks like the runaway has learned some new tricks," a voice spoke up from the darkness. My head snapped in the direction of where the voice was coming from. A large black magic seal appeared in the ceiling above where we stood, few sparks came out of it as something started to emerge from it. I got ready for what's coming as I protectively stepped back to get closer to Azul, who was frozen in fear and watched with me as a cloaked figure quickly drops down to the ground.

Floating midway, the cloaked opens up a bit for me to see the person was wearing heels. 'A woman?' That all didn't matter to me anymore once I saw the mark on the bottom of her red cloak. With the snap of her fingers, the thing that attacked us earlier suddenly sprung to life from out of the rubble, jumping out and landing beside her. I covered my mouth in disgust at the side of the monster. It was a giant wolf-like creature; purple eyes filled with the look of hunger in them, sharp fangs covered in blood, fur on every in of its body, and the stench coming from it smelled like a rotten corpse.

"Recognize him? You should recognize me too," I felt my dragon instincts kicking in when she reaches up for her hood. Sliding it off, she frees her hair which bounces above her shoulders and opens her eyes to reveal a sickly red color. The chestnut haired girl smiles at me in triumph over my sudden change of attitude. "Get out of here Azul! This isn't the place for you to be! Azul?" I quickly threw my head over my shoulder, having no patience to have to warn her twice and felt my blood run cold. This whole time I thought Azul was frozen in fear but in reality, she literally was frozen.

Her eyes were clouded over as her entire body went stiff, exactly the way a statue is like. 'Time magic? No,' I shook my head and turned to glare at the duo, 'it's a taboo to freeze time. Even turning the clock backwards costs a certain price on the users own time.' Smiling at my confusion, she points up in the air. Reluctant at first, my eyes followed where she's pointing at all the way up at the ceiling above us. Then I saw it. A small puppet floated above us with a clock in it's hands, it's body twitching with every second that goes by. Just looking at the puppet brought back so many memories.

Light blue yarn for hair, red beads for eyes, body painted to resemble pale skin, and a white sleeveless dress. "Do you know what it is?" she asks me, clearly knowing what the answer is. I bow my head in shame and answered, "Puppet clock... the strings of time come to a heart on a certain amount of time depending on the level of magic it's user has." "Correct! Our guild master thought we had no use to borrow a little of her assistance... but-" I quickly dodged to the right as a sudden scythe appears out of nowhere and attempts to strike the top of my head. "-we wouldn't want your companions be a part of this now do we?"

I don't care if this place collapses, I need to go all out if I want to prevent these guys from getting near my friends and Deliora. "I guess introductions are in place," with a hand on her chest and eyes filled with excitement, "my name is Red! I am a part of the Fantasy division of Black Rose! You may already known that with the way you've been staring at our guild's mark." I didn't answer this time. Slightly upset at the way I wasn't reacting at all, Red (A/N: Not the one from Pokemon ok!) pouts and asks me, "You don't remember us, do you?"

"Sorry... but I don't know anyone by the name of a color and a giant hairy beast."

The wolf growls in response and takes a step forward, but its companion extends her hand in front of it to stop.

"That's too bad. I was hoping we'd have a little catching up after all these years. You were such a tiny thing."  
"Speak for yourself! You're not even here, are you? I may not know who you are, but I can tell the difference between an actual human from an illusion."  
"Hehehe! So you've seen through me? I just wanted to see you before my friend finishes you off. It would mean so much if you just let my friend here escort you up to Reitei, we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt now do we?"

With one step forward, I quickly flew up in the air after than the eyes could see and already had spiraling storm clouds wrapped around both of my arms and extended far behind my back. Whipping both of my arms in the direction of the two, the beast dodges to the right while Red stands her ground. "No one threatens my nakama!" I used Ranryū no tsubasa (Storm dragon's wings) on her. I slid to a stop a few feet away from where she stood and waited when the body bursts into a million pieces. As I turned, I watched as the fallen pieces of vines fall to the ground.

I knew it was pointless to waste my energy on it, but- "Now it's just you and me big guy," I said, flipping my goggles on and began to slowly float off the ground. The beast snap its mouth, his once red eyes turning into a sharp yellow tone. I sniff the air a bit and thought, 'He smells human, but mostly something more on the lines of an animal. Is it the same magic Elfman and Mirajane use? No, the magic I feel coming off of him is different. It's like he is the monster!' I yelp in surprise when the ground below me suddenly started to lift up and hit the bottom of my feet.

"Tch!" It pulls the ground below me even higher and throws it up in the air, forcing me to go with it. As I crash into the ceiling, I took this chance to hide behind a large bolder from the falling rubble and held onto it. The beast readies its fist and starts to punch all of the falling rubble at lightening speed, faster than Jet when running. Right as he was about to punch the one I was behind, I beat him to it by punching through the bolder (using furyu no ranken/storm dragon's turbulent fist) and dove straight at him. I thought I had the upper hand when my face sunk into his face, but he was faster than he looks.

He disappears and appears right behind me. "Hayai! But then... I have friends that are faster! Ranryū no Hōkō!" As his body was pushed far enough from where I was, I took this chance to catch a small glimpse of the Puppet Clock. "Two minutes!? It's not enough... but it will have to do!" He tries to punch me again but the only thing he punched was air. I appeared behind his back and whispers into the beasts' ear, "You're too exposed..." I kicked him multiple time on his furry back as he continuously howls in pain. With only a few seconds left, I sent one finally blow and forced him down to the ground.

Just one impact caused a large crater to form on the ground. "Fūryū no ranken!" Punching him in the gut with all my might, I painfully watched as he silently screams with his mouth gapping with open. Going limp, he slowly turns his head to the side and lays there with his eyes glazed over as he fights to stay awake. I float down then land on top of his chest. I shook my head, saying, "I know that it's painful. But you need to understand... She's forcing all of us to do this." As if he was finally able to regain his senses and understand what I was saying, the beast finally shuts his eyes completely and waits for me to end his life.

With shaky hands, I raise one hand up in the air and watch the being below me. "Good bye... Ranryu no-!" A sharp pain struck me in the back of my neck. Bit by bit, my vision slowly started to go dark and all feeling in my body began to fade away. As I struggled to stand up, I lost my balance and tripped to the side, falling off the beast and land almost exactly where the frozen Azul was.

-Normal-

Avery twitches in place as she continues to struggle to get back up. Two hooded figures soon began to step from out of the shadows; one was shorter than the average teenage height as the other seemed to be about Avery's height. "See? I told you we would need you master! Its been seven years since the last time we saw her!" the short one, talking in the voice of Red, complains. "Shut it," her guild master orders. Red quickly shuts her mouth and complies, "Yes master..." She looks over to see Avery and Azul on the ground.

"Is that her?"  
"Yes..."  
"Hmph... it seems she has grown in a way. But I can still see that frail little girl that was tormented by humans for so long."  
"The resemblance is uncanny..."  
"... Tie them up and bring them to Reitei Lyon."

"Hai!" Red hurries to the two as the guild master walks up to the fallen beast. She extends her hand, dark brown threads coming out from underneath her long white sleeve and under the cloth of her red cloak. "Your time isn't up yet Beast... You are still tied to this world with your remaining uncut threads..."

**To Be Continued**

**Oh god I made it! Two hours before new years! Anyway, thank you all for following Winds of Hope up to this point and for staying patient! Once again, we won't be having our usual ending talk but I'll be extending this chapter and continuing it very soon! Happy new year everyone!**


	11. Happy new year!

**Happy New Year!**

I sat by the window and watched as everyone prepared the fireworks for the new year, keeping Natsu away as far as possible. Azul floats by with a handle full of fireworks of her own then spots me. "Avery isn't this great? We're actually going to celebrate new years with everyone! No more missions. no more travelling no more- What's the matter?" Azul stops her blabbering when she notices how quiet I've been. "Hm? Oh it's nothing I just- Sigh..." I had no idea how to explain it to Azul. Before she was born, I never wanted anything to do with humans, and the worst part is I was so close to living the same life as Polyscua.

Ok I didn't really mean it as a bad thing, but she absolutely refuses to let any human near her home unless it's me, Makarov, or anyone from Fairy Tail that need her help. Polyscua lives in the forest with absolutely no one to keep her company. I was the only one who she allowed to get closer that 20 feet since we had one thing in common at the time- our hatred for humans. Now she's alone with no company at all. "You can go Azul," I gave her permission to leave as I turned to face the window again, "it looks like the others are about start now. You should hurry."

Taking one last glance at me, she hurriedly flies to the guild doors and pushes against them with her tiny body. Watching them from behind the glass, I watch as Azul zooms over to the group and hands over all of the fireworks to them. As much as I want to join them, I just can't bring myself to go and celebrate with everyone and party as freely as they do. Azul flies over to Natsu and whispers something into his ear. I eye the two in confusion as Natsu waves at Azul, runs past her so she could spot Happy and frantically chase after the blue cat, who was screaming his head off when he see's that he's been spotted.

I stood up from my chair and searched for the pink haired boy. "Where did he go...?" He's never the type to run off before a celebration. "Av!" I jumped when Natsu bursts through the guild doors, nearly breaking them with how hard he threw them open. I calmed down and sadly smiled at him, shyly greeting Natsu, "Hey Natsu..." He marches up to me and grabs my shoulders. "You. Me. Roof. NOW!" "Eh?" I didn't except it when Natsu suddenly tosses me over his shoulders, pats my back (as well as my bottom), and starts to dash off to a random direction.

"Natsu hold on! Where are we going!?" I yelp in surprise when I suddenly feel the world spin around me once we got outside. I was having a hard time trying to figure out what he was planning, all I remember is him saying something about the roof and that's it. He places me down at 'lightly' as possible and sits beside me, grinning at whatever he accomplished. "You think I'd let you stay out of the fun? Not on my watch!" I blink in surprise as Natsu turns his attention at the town below us. "Natsu I can't let you stay up here while the others- Eh!?" I was going to stand and force him to go back down when I saw how high up we are from the ground.

I tightly held onto his arm in fear as I felt his hand lightly pat the top of my head to calm me down. "And this is why I wanted you on the roof..." Natsu beams at his accomplishment. I wanted to scream at Natsu for carrying me all the way up to the roof, but I was too focused on being scared that I just clung onto his arm for dear life. "Av look at me," he forces my face to look at him instead. "Now look at the sky." As if on cue, the sky above us suddenly bursts into color. I watch in awe as more fireworks shot up in the air and bursts again, again, and again.

"It's like the stars are dancing in the sky..." I mutter, earning a short chuckle from Natsu. "That's what you get for going out all the time! You should stick around more often or else you'll stay clueless about everything!" I smile as he affectionately ruffles my hair. "Oh! They're about to start the count down!" I was surprised when Natsu said that. 'I thought they started already!' Scared, I lean closer against Natsu as everyone around the city began to chant.

"3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

I scream and hug Natsu's arm even tighter when a barrage of fireworks were sent up simultaneously into the night sky, too scared to even care if I was hurting him. Looking at him, I could see I wasn't fazing him at all. He was actually laughing at how terrified I am. "Happy new year Av!" he yells as even more blow up. All of my fears washed away when I heard the cheers and laughter's of everyone from around Magnolia. Tears began to well up in my eyes. "Happy new years Natsu!" I smile and laugh. As the finale began to draw near, I took one last glance up at Natsu, who was too busy watching and laughing at the chaos down below.

Sighing, I lift myself up closer to his face and kissed him on the cheek. That set Natsu's body on fire. Literally. I burst out laughing as he jumps up to his feet and roars. "Hahaha! Natsu you're over doing it!"

**~Fin~**


	12. Chapter 10

_~Red's Intro~_

_'I live for the color red..._

_Everything in this world... every living creature..._

_contains that very beautiful color in them..._

_You just need to let it all out!'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 10 - Release of the Storm (Part 1)~_**

-Normal-

"We're almost there..." Reitei mutters, pleased to hear something good for once. After hearing the news about there being intruders, he didn't really think much on it. All he wants is to finally release the demon inside it's frozen prison. "Are you Reitei?" They all turn to see two hooded figures standing close to the edge, one of them tossing a certain injured storm wizard and tiger stripped cat in their direction. "Avery, Azul...!?" Lucy gasps as all of them watch in horror at the sight. Avery tries to get up but is promptly slammed back down by force by Red, who grinds her red heel on the back of Avery's head.

This almost caused Natsu and Gray to blow their cover if it weren't for Happy and Lucy to pull them back down. "Keep it together you two...! If we jump in now, Avery's life might be in danger!" she warns the two. Both boys scowl down at the ground, reluctant at first before turning back to the conversation. Happy floats over to Lucy, whispering to her, "Something's not right about this... Avery isn't fighting back at all... And Azul hasn't moved an inch either..." Lucy peers a bit closer over the boulder and notices this as well. "Yeah, she's in some sort of trance or something..."

"That's it! I'm going out there!" Natsu was about to jump out of their hiding spot, only for Gray to punch him back down. Gray quietly yells at his rivals, "Stay down you moron...! Just like Lucy said, if we go out now and blindly attack them there's no telling what they'll do to her...! Besides she can take care of herself." "You're the moron..!" Natsu grabs Gray by the collar and yells, "You don't know shit! Av can fight against dark wizards and demons... but this is different! She'll keep her vow of not hurting anymore human beings, just bad guys! Av won't fight back even if she wants to..."

He slowly lets go of the ice wizard and slumps in place. Her logic may be twisted in the more clueless way possible, but Avery keeps her word, and that's the one thing Natsu both loves and hates about her. Red tugs her hood to hide her face and says, "Your people are really bad at keeping hold of your prisoners. You're lucky we decided to get a peek at our prize." "Apparently," the tall one spoke up in a deep yet cold tone, "she was trying to make contact with him." Every single person listening to this was shocked to hear this, even Team Natsu was just as shocked as they continued to hide and listen. "Contact Deliora?" They didn't answer.

Red only chuckles at their response, "This girl has a deep connection with the demon's soul. And it seems she's made contact with someone else prior to arriving on this island... you wouldn't know anyone else is your life that has died by the beast's hand have you?" Red soon finds half of her body suddenly covered in ice, prompting the man beside her to take a step forward and began to give out a short hushed growl that only she could hear. "Don't! They have no further use for us..." Both were upset at Reitei Lyon's unwanted actions, and one of them didn't take it as 'lightly' as his smaller associate.

"You've made a huge mistake Reitei-san. The master won't like this once she finds out about your treachery today. I'll look forward to the world's demise thanks to your undoing on this day, something that I definitely know will cherish every single moment of it." As the two make a few steps back towards the edge without the groups' knowledge, Red smirks underneath her hood as the two steps off the edge and pulls her left on back, causing the thread attached to the back of Avery and Azul's neck to pluck. Their dull blue eyes slowly began to return to normal. "Wha...? Where am I?" Avery spoke up, shocking the group as she slowly.

Azul quickly sits up and shakes her head. "It felt like I was being punched ten times in the head... this time not by some random guy in the guild," Azul comments. Avery slightly smiles at the memory states, "You really shouldn't be joking about this right now..." "But it's true!" Right in the middle of their 'argument', Reitei Lyon finally had enough of this nonsense and completely froze Azul in ice without a second thought. "Azul!" Right as she was about to make any sort of movements, Avery freezes in place when Toby quickly dashes up to her and aims his long poisoned finger nails directly at her neck.

-Me-

What was going on? One moment I was fighting two strange wizards back in the ruins, now I'm suddenly being restrained by a dog man that has a face only a mother could love and probably on top of the ruins. "Nice to meet the typhoon face to face," a stranger greets with some sort of weird helmet on his head. "The pleasure's not mine..." I answer back, glancing over to what he had done to Azul. "Keep your mouth shut!" I had to pull my head back away in fear when dog man suddenly got mad at me. "Don't get mad!" I immediately spot the only short man with eyebrows that mysteriously resemble an old man's lip facial hair.

"Hey eyebrow man! Hi dolly!" As much as don't like making enemies, I honestly don't remember their names so I can only call them whatever comes to mind.

"Eyebrows...?"  
"D-Dolly!?"

"Hey I forgot your names alright!" I yell. For a second there, I thought I could hear someone snickering not too far from where I was and I seemed to be the only one to hear this. I secretly took a short glance to my right when the group was discussing with what to do with me. The first thing I thought was- 'Natsu!?' He was practically trying to pry himself out from behind his hiding spot with Gray and Lucy trying to pull him back down and Happy jumping on his head to help the two push his had down. I literally almost wanted to laugh at what they were doing. "Hey-" I was suddenly picked up by my hair and forced to face helmet head. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing!" I quickly answer. He didn't seem to buy it. "Hmph... tell me something typhoon, how exactly did you get on this island?" I gulp, answering him as carefully and calculated as possible, "I just flew over here with my companion, who you froze for some odd reason...!" Ok maybe not as calculated as I wanted it to come out. Seeing how I was still bitter on what he had done, I watch as he swipes his hand up in the air and a pale green magic circle appears for a mere second. The ice quickly shatters to pieces, freeing Azul. The moment she was free, Azul blinks for a few seconds then starts to shiver.

"Why is it so cold all of a sudden!?" exclaims the cold cat. At least we knew she can feel something after being in ice for a few minutes. The next thing that happened completely caught me off guard. "I hate cats!" Dog man suddenly kicks Azul before she could even do anything. "Why me!?" I watch as she was sent flying in the direction of where Natsu and the others are hiding. "Hey! That was uncalled for dog man!" I yell and slid my body to trip him off his feet. "IT'S TOBY! AND THESE TWO ARE SHERRY AND YUKA!" he rants in my face. I wipe my face to pretend his saliva splattered on my face and joke a bit, "Your bark must really be worse than your bite... or nails I mean."

As Yuka tries to restrain Toby from attacking me, I spot Happy quietly float up in the air only for Azul to quickly tackle him back down once she see's her 'savoir'. "Don't lie to me now Avery," my eyes widen when I hear him say my name, "I know there is more than two of you that came on this island and went to the village." "So what if there is?" I answer back. "Make up your mind already!" I unconsciously made a short storm above our heads, which coincidentally created one lightening bolt to strike specifically dog man. 'Huh... I didn't know I could do that...' I thought to myself as I watch Shelly help put the fire out on his head.

"Reitei-sama," Shelly spoke up. "It's so sad. We still haven't found the intruders yet at around noon. I can't express my love like this." "Hasn't Deliora been resurrected yet?" Reitei questions Dolly as he stands up to face the beam of purple light. She quietly answers, "At this rate, either today or tomorrow..." "Which one is it!?" dog man demands. "Reitei...? Resurrecting Deliora... Don't tell me...!" I gasp in realization as the images that the mysterious figure in the water from before showed me began to repay in my mind. "As for the intruders-" "Are you... Lyon!?" They all seemed to be surprised at my sudden outburst.

They were silent for a while, which was really creepy. "So they were right... you did make contact with Deliora." With just in that second, Lyon suddenly kicks me in the gut, sending me sliding back. "Destroy the village," he quickly orders. All three of his followers gave him a quick "yes sir" (well there was a snort somewhere in that line) to him. "No stop! The villagers have nothing to do with this!" my cries only fell on deaf ears. Tears began to form at they made their way to the village. "No... stop..." all the cries of innocent humans began to ring at the back of my head.

I can't do anything. _**"Kill... kill..."**_ I couldn't tell if that was Deliora's voice or _her's_ anymore at this point. I've been fighting off whatever thought's that demon has been trying to forcefully enter into my mind, and I don't think I can't fight either of them off anymore. _**"Kill them all!" **_"Stop it!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "I can't stand this sneaking around any longer!" Natsu cries out as he jumps out of their hiding spot. He gathers up all of his fire then roars out a huge dragons roar, "You're intruders are right here!" I smile happily at Natsu's impatience as everyone else just looks at the dragon slayer as if he was insane.

Natsu spots me and grins in my direction, making me close my eyes and grin as well. 'Oh he's insane alright... insanely cool!' Sherry stares at them for a moment then says, "That mark... They're from Fairy Tail." "I see. So typhoon wasn't the only one who appealed to the village for help," Yuka said, giving me a short glare in my direction. I stick my tongue out at him in response. "What are you doing? Go and destroy the village." The three were surprised to hear Lyon tell them the same orders again. "Why?" I mutter in shock. Lyon explains to everyone watching with a tight fist, "Those who get in my way or conspire against me are my enemies."

"WHY!?" Natsu chargers towards Lyon, but Gray wanted to get to him first. "You bastard!" When I saw Gray was about to cast a spell, I quickly rolled away in time as I heard Gray cries in the distance. "I'll stop this ridiculous ritual of yours!" I raise my arms up to shield myself as Gray freezes the floor with multiple spikes of ice in their directions. They all jump away from this and Lyon swiftly dives down, his hand with the array from before appears as he goes in for the attack. Lyon freezes the floor as well, but the ice was much more sharper than Gray's. Both ice spells come in contact with each other then explode into pieces.

I lower my arms and mutter, "Two ice wizards in the same place... This is really bad..." "Are you alright?" I was surprised to see Azul as she flies over to me. "I'm alright, how 'bout you Azul?" I ask her, concerned after seeing her frozen like that. She uses her claws to cut the ropes off my ankles and arms, saying, "Happy was kind enough to share his warmth with me~" I sweat drop, thinking to myself, 'More like you attacked him without remorse...' "Lyon!" Gray exclaims as he recovers from the attack. "You bastard, do you have any idea what you're doing!?" Lyon acknowledges this, "Heh. It's been a while, Gray."

'They know each other!?' I gasp in my thoughts then remembered something, 'So that really was Gray in my vision... What does Deliora have to do with this? Only a crazy human would think of letting that hell raiser go free after what it's done! Dark wizard or not, he has no right to do this!" "Hurry up and go. I'll handle this myself," Lyon orders the three. They instant disappeared on the spot. "You think I'd let you go that easily?!" Natus stumbles on his feet then moves to go after them. "Stop, Natsu! Don't move!" It didn't take me long to understand what Gray was trying to say.

"Natsu get out-!" I was stopped half way from Azul when she pulls me back in time as Lyon suddenly casts a spell on him. It's like time froze around me as the ice appears around Natsu's body, with only his head and limbs sticking out. Gray attacks back as Happy carries Lucy away from the battle field. I snapped. "Azul... go after Happy and Lucy," I order as the wind around me picks up an storm clouds began to gather behind my back and swirl around my body.

"What about-"  
"Don't worry about me. I can handle this."

-Azul-

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I watch Avery walk over to the fight. I knew things were about to get even more intense when I saw her flip her goggles on. Well, that's what I thought at first. Out of no where, right before Avery was even close to hear what was going on, Gray suddenly kicks Natsu away, sending him rolling off the temple in complete shock. "What did you do that for, Gray!?" Avery, Natsu (while his voice fades away), and I yell. I went on all fours, thinking, 'We're all doomed...!' "You're still so reckless. Wasn't he your friend?" the Lyon guy asks Gray.

"Not really..." Avery adds, still slightly upset at Gray's uncalled for actions. "You could explode that ice at any time you felt like, right?" I was surprised to hear this, and Avery was even more shocked to know the possibility of what would happened to the hot head if he didn't kick him just now. 'Avery has never fought with another ice wizard other than Gray... Will she really be alright?' I shook my head and tried to think more positive thoughts, 'What am I talking about!? This is Avery! If she's not afraid to stand up to Erza, master, or any other authority figure and

-Back to Me-

"I'll just end this here and now!" I quickly charge over to the man with my storm dragon's turbulent fist ready on my right. "Avery don't go near him!" Gray warns me as he tries to race over to stop me. "Ranryū no Rank-" Red marks glowed on my wrists and ankles, exactly where those ropes were when I first woke up. My fist was inches from hitting the side of Lyon's face, but I was stopped by the sudden appearance of long chains wraps after the red markings disappeared. I was held up in the air while Lyon stood in place and Gray taken a back at what just happened.

"Eh...?" Was the last thing that came out of my mouth as I suddenly found myself being forcefully pulled away. Gray tries to reach out for me, but is subsequently stopped by the other ice mage by a barrage of ice shaped birds flying in his direction. I was soon being pulled away from the top of the temple, and downwards towards the forest.

-Natsu-

While rolling down, a large rock that was sticking out of the side was right in the trail of where I was rolling, and when I bumped into it I ended up free falling instead. Beats bumping and rolling onto stuff than nothing! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw four long chains appear out of no where and started to pull down whatever it is from where that perverted stripper, Azul, and Av is. "Let go of me!" That's when I realized... it was Av! She struggles to get out of the chains, but continues to get pulled down. "Av! AV! Oi AV!" I call out to her, hoping she would hear me.

She stops struggling then turns to see me falling not too far where she was, happy to see me at first but that instantly changes to fear. "Natsu watch out!" I didn't get what she meant until I look over to see one of the chains started to come right at me. Av reaches out for me and I tried to as well, but the chains around tighten around her wrists and restrain her from making any other sort of movement. I couldn't move and using my magic was definitely not an option. One smack made me spinning in mid air. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" As I continued to spin, seeing the color green was something that I definitely wasn't going to enjoy and I know that this will hurt like hell.

I close and wait for the upcoming headache. _CRASH!_ After sliding on my face across the ground during the landing, it took a while to stop. I use my fire to at least lift me up on my feet and balance myself from falling back down. I spit out a gigantic rock from my mouth, groaning at the thing, "Ptooie! That was the worse thing that has ever been in my mouth! Besides Av's first attempt to cook..." I froze at the idea of what Av's reaction would be if she found that out. 'She'd either get depressed or kill me!' Right above my head, I instantly try to run after her except one single step make me trip and fall flat back onto the ground.

I toss around, complaining, "Damn it Gray! When I get my hands on you I'll burn your ass to charcoal!" Then out of nowhere, something landed smack on the back of my head. "Ow! What the hell was... that?" I felt my blood run cold when I saw a certain pair of goggles laying a few inches away from my head. Her goggles with me is never ever a good thing. "If they even touch Av I swear I'll-" I was interrupted when I heard a blast from up at the top of the temple.

-Back to Me-

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

My body was instantly flung straight at a random tree after being lowered down a bit and crashed into a bunch of more tree's. "Ow... Now I know how Natsu feels whenever I just drag him around while flying..." I instantly remembered the state Natsu was in when I was dragged away from the temple and started to picture many different possibilities that happened to not only him, but everyone else. I reach up for my goggles, but the only thing my hand touched was the top of my head. I search around my head a bit more and then started to feverishly look around where I sat for my googles.

"No no no no no! I promised Natsu to keep them safe! Why do I keep losing them at the worst moment!?" I exclaim as I started to panic even more the longer I couldn't find them. Those goggles weren't just to help me fly, they're really important to me. Even more important than Reisswind's scale. "Avery! Where are you? Avery!" I hear Azul's voice call out to me not too far away. My head snaps up as I call out, "I'm over here!" She spots me and races over to where I was, only for the same chains from before start attacking her from all directions. "Not again...!" I tried to get up to help her, but more chains appeared and blocked my path.

Azul was able to dodge every single one that was coming at her, except I knew it was a matter of time before she lost her rhythm and slowed down a bit to keep using her aeria magic. I've constantly tried to get her match my speed. It's just that no matter what I do, there is always a limit. I punched the chains out of frustration, only for them to instantly shatter to the floor. I look down at my fist in shock, muttering out loud, "What's going on...? I didn't even use my magic back there..." "Agh!" Azul falls to the ground in pain, her left wing pierced and slightly bleeding from the deep cut. I was about to race up to her when someone started to slowly clap behind my back.

"Subarashii (Excellent)! I never thought there was anyone else in the world that could match that incredible speed of yours," a clocked figure walks out from the flying dust. "But then again... there isn't anyone in the world that I know that's the kind of monster that I've witnessed." It was Red. This time she seemed much shorter than how she last appeared to me. I smirk and said, "So you've finally revealed your true self. It was really weird talking to such a realistic looking illusion." Finally stepping out of the dust cloud, Red steps out with her entire clock flying off flying off her. "Red." She was really a small child.

Retaining some of the same features her older appearance had, Red had short red cape that slightly reached up her shoulders and the hood part had the shape of ears sticking upwards. A tiny orange frilly cress, chains wrapped around her tiny arms, long white stockings, and red shiny shoes. I could smell a bit of that smelly wolf from before. And it didn't smell like the scent of something dead. "Now I see why you chose that form... fighting a kid will make anyone feel uncomfortable," I snicker as she starts to turn red. "It's not funny!" She coughs a bit to get my attention, then evilly smiles at me.

Red gloats at our current position, "You do know you're in no position to talk to me like that. I have your companion pinned down and there's nothing you can do about it. One wrong move, and I can simply tear that little wing of her off. I'm not one to hurt an innocent little thing like her... but everything associated with you makes me want to erase it from existence." At first I appeared to be shaken at this in her eyes, and she reveled in the fact that I was 'helpless' to do anything. "Heh... you don't know anything," I smirk, causing her to back away as I lift my head up to reveal a wild grin on my face.

The wind around me pick up around me for a few seconds then bursts into life, creating a storm that wraps itself around my body. "Now Azul!" The Azul that was on the ground disappears in a puff of smoke and the real one to appear. "Illusion magic...? Since when can a rodent learn something with such a weak body?!" Azul retaliates by throwing a rock at her head. "Hey I'm a cat not a rat!" "You said it not her," I said, bursting out laughing not longer after. I stopped laughing and yelped a bit when Red slices her giant axe at me. "Stop laughing! Because you *sniff* master took my beloved scythe from me and gave me this stupid heavy thing! Waaaah!" she wails.

Azul and I were surprised to see her crying. Azul sweat drops, asking, "Is this really the one that captured us and brought us up to that Reitei guy...?" We had no idea what was going on at all when, out of nowhere, the area around us started to shake. "W-What the heck is going on!?" I exclaim, losing my balance and ended up on the ground on all fours. Azul dodges a falling tree and complains, "Can't there just be a day without things falling on us!?" "Heh... hehehe... Ahahahahaha!" Red suddenly bursts into a hysterical fit. "Great! She's lost it.." Azul groans.

"Azul! This isn't the time to joke about this- kyah!" I tried to get back up, but one big tremor caused me to go back up in the air for a brief second then face-plant back down on the ground.

-Azul-

Red laughs at this while I just sweat drops at what will be probably labelled as the most weirdest thing to randomly happen. "You do it all the time though..." I mutter to myself, slowly flying over to help Avery while Red continues her laughing fit. "Eeeek!" I yelp in surprise at the sudden chain that shot down from the sky above me and barely hits me by half an inch. I float down to the ground like a leave and turn completely pale, my soul coming out of my mouth out of fear. Red clicks her teeth, "What are those weird sounds you're both making? So boring~" I was able to grab my soul back into my mouth just in time as a giant large paw tries to swipe at me.

After getting at least a few feet up in the air, I look down to see a gigantic wolf standing on two feet right behind Red. One sniff and I plugged my nose in disgust. "Ew...! This one is worse than that farting rat!" The wolf growls in response at this. Red shrugs and turn her head to sigh, "I'm disappointed in you Avery... You say you won't hurt humans anymore, but then you go around destroying dark guilds and HURT humans. What kind of logic is that? Humans say you're one of the strongest in that stupid country of theirs?" "Hey! What right do you have to judge someone you barely know!?" That instantly earned me a show glare, still disgusted and tries to ignore me.

"You lost to that wind moron twice even though Master gave him a little assistance," Red puts a finger to her lip as she remembers something, "though to hold you off the first time was pretty impressive. But I guess it was because he took advantage of your weakness in transportation..." 'Can she stop ignoring me!? I'm right here!' I growl in my thoughts, holding back from clawing that stupid face off. If it wasn't for that stinky mutt beside her, I would have done it in a heart beat! "Keep your tongue you rodent! I'm not deaf," she said, aiming her axe at my face. "Did I say that out loud? I'm sorry! I thought you were deaf since you were talking everyone's ears off!" I mock her with my tongue sticking out.

-Back to Me-

"Ow... Huh?" I shot up on my feet and back away in shock. "He's alive...? I was so sure that..." Red bursts out laughing again, "Oh that face really sends shivers down my spine! You've always displayed such grand expressions whenever you're scared... but the best is when you're in pain! I almost begged for Master to let me be the one to recreate that day." I felt a familiar pain in my chest. Every day, I have always relived that moment in both my dreams and when I'm daydreaming. 'The only reason I never snapped was because of them...' I put a hand on my chest and tightly clutched onto it. 'They're the reason I'm able to smile again...'

"Sadist," Azul blurts out of nowhere, causing me to jaw drop and the Wolf man to just blink at what she said. Ticked off at this, Red violently starts to swing her hammer at us. I quickly grab Azul and hover away from it in time before it landed on the both of us. "I AM NOT TURNED ON BY ANYONE'S PAIN!" screams the littles girl while trying to swing at us again. "You said it not us!" both of us tell her, which caused he to rampage even more. Ok, this time I really couldn't help it. She was literally asking it when she just flat out attacked us and say that out. After stopping to take a breather, Wolfman just pinches his temples and shakes his head.

I slid to a stop when I see this. "Don't you find it weird?" I ask Azul. She tilts her head in confusion and looks up at me, asking, "What is? The fact that a little girl using a ginormous axe that she hates using so much?" "No that that! Look..." I point over to Red, who was having difficulty breathing. "That wolf hasn't attacked us fact to face once... He's just waiting around for Red's permission and simply growls at us if we say anything bad." "So who do we take out first?" I was shocked to see Azul randomly take out a random branch as her weapon. "What's with the branch...?" I ask her, completely flabbergasted at her treating it as if it was a bat.

"What? The plan's to knock her head off, right?" I just sweat drop at this, quickly taking the branch out of her paws and lightly bonk her on the head for that. "What was that fo- Mph!?" I quickly covered her mouth to keep her from talking when I saw the wolf watching us intently before leaning down to whisper something to Red. I let go, allowing Azul to breathe again. "What do we do now? We can't just charge in with that stinky mutt by her side," she says, plugging her nose again after remember his stench. "Easy," I smirk and let her go to fly freely, "we go all out. Fairy Tail style."

"Which one? Where we break their every bone? Completely destroy most of the island? Or your version of it?"  
"Of course my version! I swear Azul, I still don't get how you still think Fairy Tail is a bad influence. You were born into it, remember?"  
"And sometimes I still wonder how my egg didn't break when you first brought me there..."  
"Less talking, more fighting!"

The sky above us slowly turns dark, clouds swirling around and thunder emitting from the sky every now and then. The wolf notices this and charges at me with his fist in front of him. I stood there, awaiting for him to get a little closer to me, then felt my body being lifted up in the air. He aimlessly his a few trees from his super charge. "Furyu no rasengaku!" I spun down and kicked the back of the wolf's head, sending him flying forward towards the forest. "Don't forget your other opponent!" I could hear the sound of rattling chains behind my back. I close my eyes and waited. Just as they were about to hit me from all directions, Azul swoops in on time to snatch me away.

All of the flying tree's and rocks were shattered on the spot, causing Red twirls her axe in front of her to cut up any debris coming at her into pieces. I glance over my shoulder and ask Azul, concerned since I attacked without warning, "You alright back there Azul? It's been a while since we worked together like this in a fight." "I'm fine... just seeing three Happy's spinning around my head is normal," Azul replies as she gives me a thumbs up, her eyes still swirling from the unannounced spinning. I sweat drop and apologize, "Sorry..." "Ulric! I command you to wake up!" The wolf didn't respond. "You... you killed him again! You're so heartless!"

"Calm down I didn't kill him. I just knocked him out. I never want to act reckless in a fight... but if I've learned anything from Fairy Tail-" a storm formed all around me again. "Is that there are times you don't hold back!" I shut my eyes we both flew up in the air and dodged as many chains that were coming at us as possible. But every time I took a peek at what was going on, my body tensed up a bit and almost felt the world spin around me until one of the chains were inches from striking me in the heart. I twist around to avoid it, but I wasn't fast enough. The chains slice's the skin of my left arms, leaving a deeps cut and a lot of blood coming out.

"Avery watch what you're doing! I can barely see anything back here!" Azul screams. "You want the both of us to do!?" I yell back, reminding her instantly of my extreme phobia of heights. "Stay still!" Red extends her arm out and tries to grab me with all the remaining chains that was on her arm. This forced me to fully open my eyes and dodge every single one that was coming at us. We both flipped around in the air and went straight for Red, dodging every single chain that tries to strike or grab me in the air. I created enough storm grey winds to wrap around both my legs. "Now hold on tight Azul!" Taking my warning to heard, I twist around so my feet were aimed at Red.

I did one hard kick first to catch her off guard, then started attacking her more with a hundred more. She tries to block all of them off will the handle part of her axe, but there were a few that were able to get past all her high speed blocks. With one final kick, I gathered collected the remaining storm in one leg only for Ulric to wake up from his sleep and grab my leg, throwing me away into the sky. He starts throwing large rocks at me to get me to fly even farther away from the ground. Once they come to a stop, we both float above the destroyed area. "Uh... Avery? Whatever you do don't look down!" Azul warns me fore some odd reason.

"Look down? Why-" My heart was beating a million beats per second once I took a better look at where we were. "Why are we up so high!?" I scream at the top of my lungs. "I told you not to look down!" Then there was this sudden howl from below. "Azul... am I the only one that hears that?" We slowly look down to see Red spinning around with her chains wrapped around to a now awakened Ulric, sling shooting him straight in our direction. "Oh no you don't! Ranryū no Hōkō!" The large amount of storm that came out of my mouth forcibly pushes Ulric down a bit, but he was able to burst open with the help of Red from below.

I tried to block except Red had another trick up her sleeves. Noticing the chain wrapped around Ulric's neck like a collar, I try to use another spell but the chain suddenly sprung to live and pierces me on the side of my stomach. I coughed up some blood much to Azul's horror. "AVERY!"

**To Be Continued**

**I am ultra pissed right now. In the past Avery was a wind dragon slayer, and yet with the number of complaints I got in wattpad about how it's just sky dragon slayer magic but with a different name. If you've follow the manga... I'll just flat out say it! There's a GALE dragon slayer! And guess what? The user controls WIND! That's it! I am so out of here!  
P.S. I realized I have the characters wrong so I changed Fu to Ran in Av's spells. Wanted to avoid it being to similar to someone else's OC but I just flat out gave up.  
**

**Av: I've never seen her snap like that... o-o;  
Az: What do we do now...? Without the author around we have no idea what was supposed to me announced...  
Az&amp;Av: Uh...  
Az: Why would she just leave two rookies like us to do this!? She never makes the others in the alchemist side say anything about the next chapter! Why us!?  
Av: A-Azul! Calm down! We're live right now!  
Az: O_O Oh! H-Hi guys! Hahahahaha...  
Av: Ahem! As you guys must have heard from Scarlet's posts and tweets- today is her birthday!  
Az: Yay! Kanpai! *Gets ready to shoot confetti but stops* Wait... doesn't that mean she's older than everyone now?  
Av: Oh yeah! Cat is practically my senior...  
Az: Um... alright then! Once again, today is AveryScarlet's birthday so-  
Av: Cheers for the birthday girl!  
*Silence*  
Av: ... I got it! I'll grab someone to take her place!  
++Later++  
Av&amp;Az: Happy Bday! *pops confetti*  
Cat: -_-* Tell me again why I'm here...?  
Av: Scarlet ran off after getting mad for something that happened in the manga in Fairy Tail. She wouldn't tell me why though.  
Cat: *throws paper mische crown and red wig at Av* Then don't include me in the mess! *marches out*  
Az: ... now what?  
Av: She's the only person I've personally met...  
Az: I know!  
++Later++  
****Az: Happy bday!  
Demon Slave (From Black Exorcist if you forgot): ...  
Av: O_O ... She's a little too silent and creepy to be Scarlet...  
Az: Who else can we get?  
Demon Slave: ... Why not get the new girl Yuki?  
Az: She can talk!?  
Av: *slams a hand over Azul's mouth* Why?  
DS: ... Rin-sama told me he's met her and says she's practically the exact copy of Author-san  
*Ponytail = Positive, hot temper = Positive, loves writing = Positive, acts like a tsundere = Highly positive*  
Me: WHY AM I A TSUNDERE!?  
Av: Oh! She's back!  
Me: I only went out to let out some steam. -_-* What is all this?  
Az: You're bday celebration!  
Me: Oh... I forgot it was today. I had to fix a few things in this chapter. And others as well... Sigh...  
Av: Here's your present!  
Me: Why are there 18 boxes!? *jaw drops at the stack*  
Av: I missed all your previous ones so this makes it up for them all.  
Me: You weren't even created when I was still a zygote... so you didn't miss much.  
Av&amp;Az: What's a zygote?  
Me: O_O||| Uh... thank you for all your support for the past few years! I'm now officially an adult now, so there will be a lot of changes in the future. This year, I may not update as much as I used to, but I am glad for you guys to still follow me after so long! Pls R&amp;R and we'll see you on the next chapter!  
*screen turns off*  
Av: Wait! You never told us what a zygote is!  
Me: Go ask Erza! She's the one into all that kinky crap!  
Az: ... Kink?**


	13. Chapter 11

_~Natsu's Intro~_

_'When we're all alone,  
It might be to frightening to bear...  
but we're all right beside each other.  
We've got our friends close by! Now, there's nothing to fear!  
Because we're not alone!'_

* * *

**~Chapter 11 - Release of the Storm! (Final part) Galuna Island, final battle!~**

-Azul-

"Avery!" I scream in horror as the chain slides right inside of my friend. She coughs some blood and goes limp, causing me to freeze, horrified at what just happened. The chain comes to a stop then starts to be pulled back by Red, the tip turning into a hook and clings onto Avery from behind. "Gaaaaah!" I held onto Avery as Red tries to pull us back down, but I was having a hard time keeping the both of us in the air with how much blood was still coming out of her. "She did say to bring you back in one piece... but she never said anything about not putting a few holes in you!" Shivers ran down my spine at the way she was smiling at the idea.

I immediately yell at her, hoping what I say would confuse Red long enough for Avery to wake up, "I'm pretty sure whoever wants Avery doesn't want you to bring her dead! It'd be better if she's alive and breathing rather than stinking up the place as a corpse! Right?" Red ponders about it much to my relief, except she was quick enough to answer with a 'sweet' smile, "I'm sure master wouldn't mind. Isn't that right Ulric?" Ulric growls again in response. I gasp when I see Avery suddenly move her hands to grab her end of the chain, and then out of nowhere, she begins to spin around to swing Red off the ground.

"Woah!" My claws came out so I could hold on tight to Avery's back as she successfully throws Red up in the air. "A-Avery?" Her name was the only thing that came out of my mouth. Avery continues to hold on to the chain so it would come flying out of her. "You think I'm going back that easily...? I made a promise to everyone a long time ago... that I'd stay with them for good... I want to see everyone grow up and become strong! No matter how many of you try to force me back, I'll continue to fight till every last one of you is gone!"

A large amount of storm began to wrap around Avery's arms and legs, accompanied with a few sparks of lightening every now and then as the storm begins to build up even more. She looks over to me and says, "Azul, I want you to let me go and grab Ulric!" "Eh!? You want me to carry such a humongous stink bag around all by myself!?" I exclaim, practically smelling that giant dog's stench with just the idea of me being behind it. "Wait... what about you?" I nervously glance down at the chain that was still stuck inside her. "I'll be fine," she tells me, facing back up to the sky and waits for Red to stop flying higher from where we were.

"As long as I don't look down, I think I'll be able to fly around a bit without my goggles for now. Keeping Red up in the air to fight is all I can do for now. Until then, keep Ulric as far away from us as possible. His arms won't be able to reach you as long as you stay on the center of his back." My eyes widen for a bit before I unwillingly complied to her orders. Right as I was about to let go, Avery reaches over and pats the top of my head and weakly smiles at me as best as she could. "Sorry to put you through this Azul. I know you don't like being mixed up in one of my fights but-" Her eyes seemed different when she looked back at the sky, and her voice was slightly different as she continued, "This will probably be the first time you'll ever see me go all out on something other than a monster."

-Me-

I was slightly worried with how silent Azul was until I felt her small paws let go of my back. She flies over to my side and gives me a thumbs up, saying, "Yes ma'am! Just don't die on me partner!" Surprised, my mouth gaps open for a bit then closes to form a small smile. As she moves to fly past me, we give each other a high five and grin as we both flew our separate ways into battle. Red seemed to have recovered while she was up in the air, because as I flew straight up towards the night sky, I caught sight of her diving straight down at me with a whole new crazed look in her eyes.

Twist to the side to avoid the two of the chains that were sent by Red, I clicked my teeth together when I felt a sharp pain on my side. More kept on coming, forcing me to continue dodging every single chain she had with her. Dodging wasn't hard at all. It was trying not to move too much was the hard part, or I'll lose even more blood than I am now. I was interrupted from my thoughts when Red suddenly appears from the clouds on my right and swings her large ax at me. Barely dodging it, I wince in pain as it slightly cuts my cheek and see a few strands of my hair cut off. "What's wrong!? Tired already?" Red continues to mock me from above.

I wipe the blood from my cheek as I glare up at her, who simply smiles down at me with a look filled with ecstasy in her eyes. "You do know where we are, right?" I ask her darkly. She tilts her head in confusion and starts to look around. "Wait- Why are the clouds so dark all of a sudden!?" screeches the girl as she realizes what kind of situation she's in right now. While she was stupid enough to just swing her ax around, Red never noticed that I was gathering up all the nearby clouds and make them only surround us while we were fighting.

"Ranryu no niju tsume!" I flip around in the air and lift both of my feet and hands up, unleashing separate spirals of storm as I swing my legs downward then my arms next. Red barely blocks some of them, but still ends up getting hit. Just as she was above to recover, I was already by her side with my leg once again engulfed with strong storm winds. "Ranryu no hassei!" My leg collides with her side. The girl barely stays in the air and the remaining chains she has left shot up from below and attempt to keep her from flying away. I flew straight towards her with my fist aimed at her chest.

"Ranryu no ranken!" (Storm dragon's turbulent fist in case I forgot to add it to the list) "Fūin no Kusari!" (Binding chain) Flying back and dodging all of the chains that flew at me, one was able to get a hold of my leg and instantly shackles it. "Ah!" I scream when I felt my leg suddenly go numb.

"What?!"  
"Heh! Don't think I didn't practice this new magic of mine. I knew from the start this mission would be a cinch when our master gave us the mission. You may have gotten stronger, but I know first hand the true power of your magic!"  
"You don't know what you're talking about! I'm not that person anymore...!"  
"Are you sure~?"

Red aims lifts her ax in the air and twirls it around above her head. I look around in fear as the storm clouds start to move apart. "Your weakness will be your downfall!"

-Azul-

"Let me go feline or I'll rip your precious wings off!" the wolf yells, continuously trying to claw at me as I continue to swing him around in the air with as must speed as my wings could go. "Would you stop moving? I won't hesitate to drop you!" I know I promised Avery to keep this guy at bay for as long as possible, but I am seriously tempted just to drop the smelly mutt and help Avery. He continuously tries to reach over at me with his claws. But being smaller and the only keeping the wolf from plummeting down to earth, I just flew around in the air loop by loop in hopes to make him dizzy. "Ha... hahaha..." I was surprised when the wolf stopped struggling.

"What's so funny?"  
"You are feline... you fail as a partner to sense when the other is is danger."  
"What!?"

I look up in shock to see the storm slowly starting to clear up, revealing Avery as she stares down in horror at what was happening. "Avery!" I drop the wolf without a second thought- causing him to yelp in surprise and howl as he fell- and flew straight up to where the two were. I tried to reach Avery, but Red had already attacked her before I was even close to where she is.

-Back to Me-

Red uses her scythe to flip me around so that she was above me and my back was facing the earth below. "How is that!? You think can run forever! I'll always find you! She knows your every move! And what's this about protecting humans!? Look-" she turns her head and flashes a crazed smile. "You're already failing at that miserably!" Slowly, I followed her gaze and instantly felt my heart beat hard against my chest. The same giant rat from earlier flew above the village, dumping what looks to be acid by how the droplets had already destroyed the outer parts of the area.

And jumping straight at it was- "Natsu don't do it!" I cried out once I spot the dragon slayer. Red continues to laugh at my despair, "That's right! Cry! You're precious fire dragon is going to die all because you couldn't save him! Any of them!" As I continued to watch, I could hear my heart beating louder and louder with a burning sensation in my eyes. Suddenly, it's like my vision suddenly became sharper than ever. Ignoring the current height we're in, I grab the metal bar of her axe and flung her downwards, forcing her to let go. With some remaining parts of the storm left behind, I had them wrap around my legs to boost my speed as I flew straight at to Red.

Terrified once we made eye contact, Red uses whatever chains she had left to create a wall to block me from coming at her. I used her axe to cut through. Shattering on impact for both, I let go of the broken weapon and dove down faster. "Wait! Why don't we just calm down for a-" I interrupt her by punching her square in the face. I performed Ranryu no yokugeki (storm dragons wing attack) and then Ranryu no tatsumaki (Storm dragons tornado) at the same time, causing Red's body to be continuously whipped by the strong storm winds that struck her body.

She grits her teeth to keep herself from screaming and summons some more chains with whatever magic she had left to send them straight for my head. I simply move my head to the side, and when I did the chain goes straight up and gets struck by lightening. The current flows through the chain all the way towards Red, who was too late to de-summon it and shortly gets electrocuted in the process. I take this chance to create one more spell.

"I am not the kind of person I was back then! Because of the amount of pain I felt that day, because of how I was treated after every thing we've done, and because of the things they did to me! I will never go back! No matter how many of you they send, I will always be the one to send you guys back to the depths of hell from once you came!"

I raise my fist up and created a large amount of storm around it, then felt as it begins to twist around violently as more of it builds up into a spinning storm with blade like edges and bits of lightening emitting from it. "This is the monster that you've created!" Red cries out in fear one last time as I plunge my fist straight into her chest, causing a large blast on impact that literally cleared up the entire night sky. "Ranryū no Daunbāsuto!" As I push her down towards the earth from the force, I slowly started to feel my vision darken as I continue to push my body even further.

-Azul-

The moment the two crashed, the whole island literally shook. As I float down as the dust began to clear, I felt all of my hair stand up when I spot Avery standing in the center of a crater. She stands over Red with one foot on her stomach, her back turned so she didn't notice me slowly floating over to where she stood. There was a hole in Red's chest but not a flesh opening kind. It looked porcelain with how there were numerous cracks near the spot. Avery lifts her hand up and holds a beating glass heart with a visible red thread attached to it. "Av...ery?" I finally call out.

The moment her head turns around, I was paralyzed by fear once my eyes came in contact with a pair of sharp glowing blue eyes. Avery blinks and her eyes suddenly turn back to normal, as if nothing had happened. "You alright Azul?" I was surprised at how normal she was acting even with how injured she was all over her body. I didn't say anything and flew over to her side. "Is she...?" I stare down at the heart then as Red. Avery notices my stare and follows my gaze to the girl as she suddenly starts to twitch back to life.

-Back to me-

"This is..." Red spots Azul and I standing above her, with me friend holding up her heart in view for her to see. "No... no! Don't do it! I was just kidding! Your friends fine! See? Those humans and freaks are just fine! Just let me go and I'll tell her-" I interrupt her by squeezing onto her heart tightly, saying, "If I do that then you'll definitely be sent back in a new form to accommodate with the things you've just witnessed." "Wait! Didn't you say you won't hurt humans anymore?" she reminds me. I finally stop when I hear her say that. Then it dawned on me. How could I have been so blind...? This kind of magic doesn't magically create living being just like that, they require something all of us have.

"I did promise that a long time ago... but Red," I look down at her in tears and told her the truth, "you're not human. You never have been." Something inside Red seemed to have snapped. "No! I'm human! I have human memories! I remember my-! My... parents?" I look over at Avery in confusion as she began to cry even harder. "I see... so this is what she has done to you..." Red continues to deny it, "No! I clearly remember Wolfram! He was a hungry wolf wanting to eat me. But when I ran and a man tried to kill me, and he saved me! And we were both murdered by that person! I remember he died for my sake! If it wasn't for her, neither of us would be alive and together!"

The hate that I had towards her quickly diminished into pity the more I watch Red try and sort out her memories together, but to no avail, it just made her realize even more and more that I'm right. The cat beside me tugs on my sleeve, asking me, "What do you mean? What exactly is Red then?" I didn't want to explain all of this to Azul, she doesn't deserve to learn these kinds of things. "She's-" A sudden black rose appeared out of nowhere and stabbing straight into the heart. I drop it as it began to shatter into glass like pieces and disappear into nothing but dust, with Red screaming in pain as her hands claw at the hole in her chest.

I hug Azul to shield her from the horrifying sight as Red's body started to shatter into pieces as well. "No! I don't want to go! All I wanted was to play with my master and Ulric forever! Don't take that all away from me again!" was her final plea before her eyes disappeared. After the lifeless doll finally goes limp, I finally let go of Azul then go on one knee to be closer to the hollow shell that was left of my fallen foe. "Red... You'll forever live on in memory..." That's when my body finally gave into the pain. I git my teeth together and I collapse onto my side in pain, holding myself back from crying as Azul hovers down to where I was and stares at the wound with a horrified look in her eyes.

"We... have to... go back..." I said in a weak voice, forcing myself to sit up only for more blood to come out. "No! You can't move with a giant hole on you side!" Azul protests as she tries to push me back down. "It's not that big..." I whisper back. "Azul... we need to check if they're alright... We can't stay here forever..." She knew that I right. Finally, she gave in, "Fine! But if Natsu starts clinging on to you once he see's THAT, you're on your own!" I smile at her words as she flies over to my back and helps me stand back up.

"Thanks Azul. I owe you one"  
"You better! But I'm not gonna be the one explaining!"  
"Yeah yeah... I hear ya. Just don't go nuts over Happy again."  
"I told you to stop judging my love life!"  
"Which doesn't exist at all..."

No matter how bad the situation is, we always find ourselves trying to temporarily forgetting all the bad things that happened and focus on something else. "Where's Ulric...?" I ask after realizing a bit late how she was here and not the big wolf. "Huh? Well... I was worried so I... may have dropped him?" I stop in place after she said that. "I change my mind. We're going to look for him!" The moment I let go of Azul, I felt the pain in my side again and quickly collapsed to the floor in pain. I soon found myself being carried by Azul, who mutters, "They really aren't gonna like this when they see you..."

||Camp||

I was able to track down their scents, but it was already day break by the time we go here. "Excuse me!" We both looked over to our left to see a group of humans and... demons!? The fur on Azul's tail stands up as I just stood there, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly open from shock. Azul wants make a run for it but I stopped her when I spot a certain elder man with horns protruding from his head slowly walking up to us and stares at me with a stern look in his eyes. There was one thing that did catch my attention about him. Then I remembered what Natsu said back in cave, _"You should have seen that old man's sideburns! They're this long!"_

"Are you... the villagers?" I ask, earning a shocked look from Azul as all of the villagers look at one another in confusion "Do you happen to be fairy tail wizards as well?" one of them asks me when they spot my guild mark. They were all scared. After seeing the giant crater of what probably used to be the village, I understand how they feel after a near death experience like that happening right above you. I place a hand over it and smile, telling them, "Yes! And I swear on my guild I will use all of my power to help you." They were all ecstatic to here this, cheering as Azul and I look at one another with wide grins. But that went away immediately when I felt my side throb in pain again.

"Um... I don't want to alarm anyone... but can you tell me where my friends are...?" I weakly as the tribe at the same time trying to stay conscious. "They're staying in a tent over there," the old man points out with his staff. "Thank you..." As Azul guides me over to the tent, I soon start to pick up four scents coming from that tent. But there was just one problem. One didn't belong to Natsu. Azul notices how tense I became the closer we got to the tent. "Is something wrong?" I put a finger close to my lips as a sign to be quiet and silently motion her to move us closer to the tent. Once we were close enough, it didn't take us long to recognize Gray's voice when he spoke up.

"What are you saying Erza!? If you heard what's going on, then you've got to know what's happening on this island!"  
"And what of it?"

Azul and I froze at Erza's words. "She can't mean it like that, right Avery?" questions the cat in disbelief, horrified at what we just heard from one of our own guild mate's and friend. I fought back from barging in and continue to listen. "I came here to bring back some guild rule-breakers," Erza spoke in a calm manner. "I have not a sliver of interest in anything else." Gray questions the woman, outraged at how she was reacting to all of this, "Didn't you see what the people on this island look like?" "I saw," was her answer. I made a first and bit my lip, trying my hardest not to yell.

'I know Erza doesn't take those who break the rules lightly... but this... this is definitely an exception!' my thoughts scream as I felt my body quake all over from the amount of rage building up, completely forgetting my injury. "And you're just gonna leave them like that?" Erza's resolve was strong when she said this, "The request has been posted to every guild. Would it not be better to leave it to some guild wizards that take on the job properly?" "I misjudged you, Erza!" Gray cries out. My vision starts to go red the more I continued to watch.

Happy was comically shocked and said something that confused Lucy, but the moment I saw Erza re-equipped a sword her hand and point that said weapon at Gray, I snapped. "You intend to break the rules as well? You won't get away with it." I forced myself to move out of Azul's grasp and conjured up a tornado that wrapped around one arm, sparks of electricity coming out of it more and more as my rage started to build up. "A-Avery calm down!" They all must have heard Azul's voice because the moment the dark winds completely wrapped around my arm, Erza snaps her hand and turns her attention to the entrance as I stepped into the tent.

"I'm very disappointed in you... Erza," my voice was darker than ever before. All of them but Erza were petrified at the sudden intense aura that surrounded me. "Y-Yo guys..." Azul nervously greets the bunch as she slightly floats out into view, hiding her injured wing behind my head. "What did you say?" Erza replies, shocked at my sudden retort. "Like I said-" I punched the nearby stack of crates on my side, shattering them all into pieces in a sudden blast that nearly sent the tent flying. "-it's disappointing to hear you say such things, Erza..." I turn my attention to a tied up Lucy and Happy, who were petrified at the immense magic aura they were sensing.

"What kind of Fairy Tail wizard ties up their own nakama and then threatens them at sword-point?" After being reminded of the past all at the same time in one night and to hear Erza say those things has finally made me show that one side I rarely show. "That is something that I cannot ignore. I'm not going to stay quiet and let you disgrace all the things that Fairy Tail has taught me" "Based on what evidence?" Erza retorts back, purely insulted at the sudden notion. My glare deepens as I answer, "Abandoning the mission. Leaving thousands of lives to suffer while a ritual is taking place that will potentially destroy countless of lives destroyed all because you were too prideful to ignore the rules and save others that called for help."

"What did you say!?" She then turns her weapon to me. "I've already had to go through the same thing in the past. Leaving someone behind all because I couldn't stand such an inhumane ritual, and then continue on living while trying to forget the sins committed when you could have done something. If you have the power stop it-" I raised my fist at her and cried out, "then you have to do whatever it takes to take fate into your hands! I'm sick and tired of doing nothing! I'm sick and tired of people thinking I'm way over my head to think I can save countless lives! If you want to stop me then go head, but I'm not going to let history repeat itself ever again!"

For the first time, Erza seemed actually taken aback by my that didn't stop her from keeping that sword pointed at me. Gray suddenly takes a step forwards and stands in front of me, grabbing the blade with his own bare hand and forced it to point right at where his guild mark is. Seeing his blood trail onto the blade and then drip to the ground finally made the rage inside me simmer down a bit. "Do what you must! This is the path I've chosen! It's something I've got to do," Gray proclaims, shocking both Happy and Lucy as well as putting Erza in her place. He pushes the sword away that was now covered with his blood and turned to face me.

I smile up at him, proud to see him stand up to what he believes in. Then I heard Lucy gasp in the background, "Avery-san!? What happened to you!?" I was so focused on what was happening that I had completely forgotten my wound, and using that spell earlier had caused my to exert my body way too much. Feeling weak all over, the last thing I can remember is losing balance and fell forward.

-Gray-

"Avery! Get a hold of yourself!" I yell after catching the girl, carefully lowering her to the ground and held her motionless body in my arms. "I told you so... Avery..." Azul was the next to fall, landing right on top of Avery. That's when I noticed the multiple wounds on Azul's wings before they disappear. Both girls were badly wounded. "What the hell happened to you...?" Even though I knew she couldn't hear me, all of these questions started to pop into my head as the images images of what happened to Avery flash around in my mind. "I promise I'll end this..."

+Later On+  
-Back to Me-  
::Dream::

_"Say Reisswind, why do you devote yourself in protecting those humans? They don't seem to respect you at all..."  
'Humans may have evolved from what they once were to us humans... but there are times you still need to do what is right to protect them.'  
"Huh? I don't get it... if they can use magic then they can drive off their own storms."  
'Not all storms can be driven away that easily. You must remember, humans aren't that accepting of change. They may have earn the power they have through inhumane actions... but if you have the power to change ones fate then you must take it upon yourself to alter it.'  
"I still don't get it!"  
'I expected as much. If only you ere less open minded as-'_

::End of Dream::

My eyes shot open and I found myself on the ground in tears. I look over to right to see Azul, who was bandaged up all over and passed out. I sat up but quickly regretted it when I felt a sharp pain on my side. "Ouch... to think Red would stab me in the most exposed part... there's no way I can hide this easily once we get back home." I knew that Azul was too weak to do any sort of flying after what I had forced her in to. I lightly touch her head, quietly apologizing, "Sorry Azul... you can set this one out. I can't let them release that demon out, not until I get back what I've lost. No... what we've all lost."

As I started walking out of the tent, I glanced over at Azul's sleeping form before fully stepping out and break into a run. 'I can't fly without my goggles. So running will have to do!' That was my original plan until I felt a sudden immense wave of magic. "This magic... Gray!?" I gasp once I recognized this familiar sensation. "No! Whatever you're planning don't do it!" There was no other option left. Without my goggles, without my partner, I'm grounded to the earth. "Tch...! And to think I would have to do it again after all these years..."

It's dangerous to do this since I'm still inside the camp, but if I gather enough storm right beneath my feet I can launch myself high enough and send me straight towards wherever it is they are. "Problem is..." I gulp and look up at the clear sky, "there's no way I can gather anything up there to block my view of the ground... looks like I have to do it the old fashion way..." Once the storm was completely gathered up around my legs, I could feel it push me up bit by bit and then sent me straight up into the air in one blast not long after. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! BAD IDEA!" I scream once I was up in the air and already too far to reach for the precious ground.

"I SHOULD HAVE JUST BLIND FOLDED MYSELF INSTEAD!" My screams stopped once I see the temple in the distance, except there was something about it that was... different. "Is it... tilted?" I was going to get my answers pretty soon, because I was about to head straight towards. "Wai- Nonononono! This isn't what I wanted!" The walls of the temple looked as if it was coming at me, and the next thing I knew, I crashed from the ouside to one wall then another wall- and it kept going until I finally reached a room. "Ah!" I did land on the ground eventually but- "So cold!" I yelp and quickly got off the frozen floor.

I bent down to touch the floor. "Ice...? This doesn't belong to Gray..." "What do you think you're doing Natsu!?" I heard Gray's voice from across the room. I look over to see Natsu and Gray butting head with one another, with Reitei looking on in confusion at what's happening before him. "I have to be the one to finish him off! I'm prepared to die!" Gray yells. Natsu glares at the ice wizard, "Since when is dying finishing a battle? Huh? Ain't that just running away, huh!? Besides, what would Av say if she saw you?" "Don't bring her up! She's already gone through enough pain... if you saw her you'd understand why I-" I finally interrupted the two and stepped forward, "What's Natsu talking about?"

All three of them weren't expecting my sudden presence in the room. Was their fight that bad that they didn't notice someone flying straight through god knows how many walls and not hear all the screaming? I was going to ask even further when I noticed how silent both men were until I spotted something on Gray's face. "You... tried to use ice shell?" I utter in disbelief, catching site of the fading crack marks on his face. Though they were almost gone, some were visible long enough for me to see. Tears welled up in my eyes the longer they stayed silent. "You both nearly lost your lives today... you think anyone would be happy if you were gone!?" I cried out.

"Well Natsu's no better! He's planning to defeat Lyon and fight off Deliora all by himself!" I was shocked at this sudden proclamation, and soon found this to be true when Natsu violently punches Gray at the side of his head and quickly tells him to 'shut up'. I march over to them with a raised fist, but instead of hitting them like they expected me to I quickly rush over to then and hugged the two. "Natsu... I thought for sure you died when I saw you charge up to that acid... please stop being so reckless for once or god knows what will happen to you..." He tenses at this but doesn't say a word. "Gray... I know you think you have to make up for your sins... but you have to live for their sake... you teacher... your friends... both of you have to stay alive for every person that cares about the two of you."

I was mad at them both, but at the same time, relieved to know they were alright. I didn't care anymore that Lyon was still here. The fact that they were okay was all that mattered. I wrap my arms around them, surprising both men but didn't say a word. Suddenly, the temple began to shake. Natsu and Gray stood around me protectively, shielding me from whatever's going on. "Wh-What's that!?" yells a frustrated dragon slayer. All of the shaking caused my wounds to slightly reopen. I bit my lip to try and hide it, but both already noticed on the spot.

"Damn it Avery! You should have stayed at the camp! You haven't healed yet!" I panic and try to make him quiet but all I could do is whimper in pain and cover the spot. Natsu forces my hand away to get a better look at it. "So this is what I was smelling earlier..." I couldn't say anything. All I could do is stand there as Natsu glares down at the wound then at Lyon, who just stood there and glared back at him. "I swear if it was you I'll-" The temple finally stops moving, but something seemed off about it. Natsu quickly lets go and started throwing a tantrum, punching and kicking the frozen floor/walls even though we both know that wasn't going to change anything now.

"Now the light of the moon will land on Deliora again!" The image of Deliora resurfaced from the back of my mind. "Sorry for the interruption," a voice spoke up. I turn to see masked man running from large hole on the wall. "Zalty, is this your doing?" Lyon questions him as he stops at his side. 'He was able to do all of this!? Wait...' I sniffed the man's scent for a bit then tilt my head in confusion, 'why does 'he' smell like a 'she'? I get there are those kinds of humans like Master Bob out there in the world, but he just smells like an exact woman! Unless...' "How'd you fix it back up!?" I was surprised at Natsu's sudden outburst, which caused me to snap out of my thoughts and focus more on what's going on around me.

Zalty just turns his head to look at Natsu. Then laughs. "How did you fix it back up!?" Natsu repeats, raising his voice even higher at the amount of frustration he was feeling. "I suppose we should begin the Moon Drip Ceremony," was the last thing Zalty said before running back out of the way he came through. "ignored!?" I raise my arms up at the sudden flames that came out of Natsu's mouth. "Oh, it's _on, _masked-man!" "I don't even think he is a man..." I quietly comment. Natsu soon starts to charge after Zalty, who was clearly taking the joy of further pissing of the dragon slayer with that wide grin on his face.

"Hold it bub!" I move to follow Natsu but Gray stops me by grabbing my wrist. "Oh no you don't! You go back to camp!" I ignore his orders and forcefully pull out of his grasp. I run over to Natsu as he stops to turn to face Gray. "We're gonna wallop that bastard a million times! You handle things here!" Gray was shocked to hear his rival say this but firmly nods. I stood at Natsu's side, adding, "I may have this massive hole on me, but it won't stop me from helping you guys! Azul and I didn't follow you guys just to cheer you on!" I smile up at Natsu, "And I'm fighting till the very end." Natsu smiles back and turns his back on Gray.

"You lost last time, and it's a disgrace."  
"Yeah..."  
"Not for you."  
"I know."

I knew where this was going. "For Fairy Tail!" we all cry out as we look at one another in the eye, smirking in approval.

-Gray-

Once Natsu and Avery were out of sight, I turn back to Lyon. Trying to convince him that Ul is alive wasn't enough to stop him from killing Deliora once and for all. The moment he used his magic to create an ice ice-make panther pass through inside me, I knew the only way to completely stop him is by force. "You honestly believe that Ul is still alive? Are you that foolish? Well I can expect as much... especially since you're stupid enough to protect Typhoon. Do you honestly think a monster like that even deserves to exist?" My eyes snap open when he asks me that. 'Gray!' Avery's voice rang as a picture of her smiling at me flashes.

"You knew... and you dare call Avery that..." I grit my teeth and breathe heavily as my anger starts to boil. "What of it?" I slowly got up on my feet. Despite the bleeding, I punched Lyon hard enough to send him crashing against the ice covered wall behind him. "Impossible! How can you still move with that wound? Is that girl really important to you? Do you even know what she is!?" That last part finally made me snap. "That's it. I've had enough trying to save you! I don't care what you say about her... she's part of the guild and I'll make sure to never see her cry like that again." Avery's words were still fresh in my mind.

The way she reacted when she found out made me realize even more how important she is, and how much it'll hurt her if I died. Lyon stands up straight, "I've been holding back for my battle with Deliora. I don't want to waste my magic power, see." I raise a fist at him, saying, "We'll settle it this way." Lyon seemed to favor the idea of a normal fist fight. "A fight with no magic? Fine by me." As I charge at him, old thoughts started to resurface in my mind, 'How exactly did I come to like her? How did it even start?'

::Memory::

_"I'm not gonna lose to you!"  
"Bring it on brat!"_

_As we continued to fight, all of the others soon started to leave one by one out of boredom as the fight continued. Then out of nowhere, an unexpected watcher came to see the fight till the end. "Hey Natsu! How 'bout we make the stakes even higher?" I offer, making the boy stop and listens to what I have to see. "Whoever wins... has to ask Avery on a date!" I only said that just to make him lose interest in winning, exactly like the time I offered the same thing except with Lisanna. Something in his eyes changed. "You're on!" he roars much to my surprise. There was this sudden burst of energy that nearly caught me off guard when he actually used magic to hit me, but I was still fast enough to create an ice shield._

_The fight went on went on for hours. I couldn't help but glance over at the girl every now and then as she continues to sit there, watching us with her usual emotionless eyes._

::End of Memory::  
-Back to Me-

"Hold it right there, you masked-bastard!" Natsu roars as he continues to charges after Zalty. "How did you fix the ruins!?" The chase was long and hard, but it was getting even more difficult the faster the two picked up the pace. But I'm not going to let that affect me. I won't be a burden! Zalty briefly stops and raises his hand up, a magic array appearing as the ceiling about me falls off in the shape of a perfect circle. I wanted to use my magic to break it but the wound was still painfully constricting me from making any other sort of quick movements. It was already hard enough keeping up with Natsu.

Natsu dashes in front of me then jumps up, kicking it into pieces with his flame ignited leg. "You think that'd stop us!?" I wince in pain and forced my shaking legs to stay in place. Natsu looks over at me in concern, "You alright Av? You can go back if you can't take it anymore." I got back up, while still keeping a hand over my wound, and stare silently at Natsu with my eyes filled with determination. He may be pissed at Zalty to undoing all of the hard work he did to make the entire temple tilt to stop the ceremony from continuing, but the fact that I'm injured and struggling to keep up didn't slip from his mind even once the whole time.

Seeing that I wasn't going to back down, he turns his back to protectively stand in front of me. Zalty just smirks and waves one hand up in the air, causing all of the broken debris to lift up into the air and goes back to the round hole above, perfectly repairing the ceiling. "EH!?" Natsu jaw drops at this while I just stood there in utter silence.'He did it intentionally... just who is this guy?'

"As you can see, that is how I returned the ruins back how they were."  
"What kind of magic was that!?"  
"One of the lost magics. Magic so powerful and with such grave side-effects that they have been erased from history itself."  
"From history?"

This completely got my attention. Can magic even be lost at all? "The two of you with your dragon slayer magic is also so," Zalty adds. This confused Natsu and I even more, "Ours?" We were both shocked when he just disappeared from where he stood. "He disappeared!" I look around in confusing while Natsu yells in frustration, "Where'd he go? Damn it!" "Calm down Natsu we can-" I didn't finish as the pain was too much for my body to handle. I almost fell over if Natsu hadn't caught me. He looks down at me with worried eyes as I struggled to breath. "That's it! Screw that guy! I'm taking you back to the camp!" I was shocked when the teen (A/N: Yeah I'm going to refer to them as adults now just in case you're wondering for those 18 and above. Makes sense, right? :P) suddenly lifts me up bridal style.

A quick blush spread across my cheeks.

-Natsu-

Av suddenly punches me in the face, nearly making me drop her in to process. "What was that for!?" She suddenly takes me hand and squeezes it. "I'm not weak Natsu. I can fight too! Just because I didn't do so well when fighting Erigor doesn't mean I can't now!" she proclaims as Av stares up at me with that familiar unwavering determination in her eyes. I wanted to yell back at her, tell her how she's putting her life on the line just like Gray and I did not too long ago. But the longer I stared into her sky blue eyes, I knew there was no way into talking her out of this no matter how hard I try.

I sigh and place her back down on her feet, surprising her as Av tries to stand back up without falling. Once properly planted on her feet, I pulled her into my arms. "Just don't die on me partner," was all I could say. That familiar line we always saw to one another. It's what shows how much we trust each other, but it also hid my fear if what would happen to her when she's like this. She hugs me back, muttering, "The same goes for you..." As I let her go, I took the goggles out of my pocket and placed it around her head. She gaps as I grin down at her reaction. "We both know you need this to continue to soar through the sky like a true dragon!"

-Gray-

Punched into the wall even harder, I felt all of the pain shot through out my body. "Stand up!" I hear Natsu's voice at the back of my mind. "Stand up!" he repeats, but in the voice of when he was a kid. I grit my teeth and glare, 'Natsu!'

::Memory::

_Natsu pants as he sits on the ground. I walk a bit trying to catch my breath. "Stand up!" he yells, much to my annoyance. I sweat drop as I yell back, "You're the one that should stand up! This is the end!" Erza watches intently as master just sits in place, starting to lose interest as the fight keeps going. Avery doesn't react at all and keeps watching, at the same time, keeping her distance as far possible. 'Why is she even bothering to watch if she's going to still be like that?' I wondered at the back of my mind.__ "I win," I announce once I see Natsu was on the ground. "Wait!" Natsu gets back up. "This isn't over yet!" I wasn't expecting him to get back up so fast but it was still amusing to see how the fire was still there._

_"Fine by me..." We charge at each other again. At the corner of my eye, I spot Avery slowly getting closer._

::End of Memory::

I pant as I stayed on the ground, still bleeding from the wound Lyon inflicted on me as he tries to catch his breath as well. "In the end, you were no match for me." "Wait!" I got back up right before Lyon could turn to leave. "This ain't over yet!" Having enough of this, Lyon charges at me again. "You should have died a long time ago!" Our fists collided with our faces at the same time, but I put even more force and sent Lyon flying back against his own ice. "I can't lose now!" Lyon suddenly flies straight at me through the smoke and punches me in the face.

"Not while I haven't shown him I'm the best! Not while she continues to look at him like that!" I head butt him only for Lyon to knee strike me on the head instantly. I recover and run over at him, crying out, "I'm not gonna lose!" We continued to punch each other, just like how Natsu and I did from the very beginning.

::Memory::

_We continued punching each other relentlessly. "I can't stand... losing to you! I won't let you have her!" he yells and swings another punch at me. "Shut up! I'm the winner!" I continued punching him as well._

_"I'll destroy you!"  
"I'll crush you!"_

_This time, Avery was even closer than before. But the look in her eyes were still blank as always. I just don't understand why this idiot would like some like her. She clearly doesn't want to be near anyone and yet he insists on trying to break down her walls. Just the thought of it... pisses me off!_

::End of Memory::

We punched each other a few times more before a I spotted an opening and rammed my body against his. "I won't lost! I'll defeat you!" Lyon was getting sick and tired of hearing this. "That's enough outta you!"

::Memory::

_Our fists collided with each others faces, finally knocking us both down to the ground. As we laid there in defeat, Avery suddenly walks over to where we lay and hovers over Natsu's head, looking down at us as she silently offers her hand. "Are you okay...?" I never expected to hear her voice. It's been a long while since she last spoke. Natsu happily takes her hand and stand up, scratching the back of his head while slightly blushing in embarrassment. She turns her attention to me and walks to me then does the same. My eyes widen as I found myself entranced by her eyes.._

'I don't know why... but that sky was so blue it got on my nerves... that is... until I saw hers... The first time I ever saw life in her eyes and noticed how the color in them resembled the sky so much... it actually made my heart stop... I think that was the time when I fell for her... Despite how cold she was... how she always sent anyone flying when they attempt to even get one centimeter too close to her borderline... she never actually hurt anyone... And whenever Natsu was near her... she would either ignore him or try to insult him then walk away... But that never stopped him from trying...'

::End of Memory::

-Back to Me-  
||Deeper part of the Temple||

I could feel Deliora's soul resonating from the entrance, but for some odd reason, it felt weaker compared to the last time I was here. "Found you! Let's start by burning you to a crisp!" Natsu flies up at Zalty with a flaming fist but only punches the ground where he stood as Zalty dodges away. "Those are some fighting words. But... how did you know I was here?" I land next to Natsu as he explains, "We both got a good nose. And you smell like a women's perfume for some reason..." Zalty just laughs at his words, "You see, I must ensure Deliora is resurrected no matter what."

"Just give it up already! It's not gonna happen while we're here," I said with my arms crossed, confident that we will stop the ceremony. "Gray will blow that guy away," Natsu points his finger directly at the masked-man, "and we'll blow you away. One million times. And that'll be that." "Oh? Did you forget the people who've been looking for you, Typhoon? I was confused at Zalty's words before I found myself held by a giant paw from behind. "Av!" I was forcibly pulled away from his side as he tries to grab me. I soon found myself in the face of a familiar foe. "Typhoon? Now we all know you're more than that..." Wolfram growls at me. I wasn't afraid of him.

"I guess we're on an even plain field here." I was surprised when Ulric suddenly places me on the ground. "You and I have no partners," he says bluntly. "But then again, that doll was nothing but another mere puppet." I grit my teeth and made a fist, asking him, "So you never really cared about her... You're just as heartless as everyone else from that place... Were all of those memories fake then?" Something in Wolfram's eyes changed. "Do you really think her magic is that powerful to do such a thing? Most of them are, but she can never truly manipulate the memories of any living thing perfectly."

His words struck me. Out of no where, he tries to punch me but I dodged away in time and flipped my goggles on. I flew around in a circle, passing around the glacier and spot Natsu fighting off Zalty his own. He spots me and briefly stops fighting but is forced to continue when Zalty uses his magic to large piece of the ceiling about to fall down. I wanted to fly in to help, but Ulric came straight at me with his sharp claws. I barely moved away to avoid them. "Ranryu no Saiga!" I swipe at his side in a claw-like fashion as all the whirlwind struck again his hairy body. But that didn't stop him from using his feet to kick me.

I was sent flying at the glacier, colliding onto it and in the light of the Moon Drip. I just stayed there, paralyzed by fear as I stared up at the all too familiar purple light. "Av get out of there!" I heard Natsu's cry in the distance. I wanted to move, but the moon's light slowly to brink back all of the unwanted memories I've tried to block for most of my life.

::Flashback::

_'Avery run!'  
"No! I won't leave you!"_

_The sound of angry humans were heard in the distance. The closer they got, the more Reisswind started to panic and think of how to protect me._

* * *

_"Stop it! It hurts!" I scream in pain as I struggled to get out. The longer the moon's light continues to shine down on me. All I could feel was nothing but pain as those watching the ritual take place continues to smile at my suffering. At the corner of my eye, I could see the shells of those that were here before me._

_**'We never did anything to you! What did we do to deserve this!?'**_

* * *

_"You humans... you think you're so smart... don't you? Well I'll see how you'd like a taste of your own medicine! This is what you've created! Accept it!"_

::End of Flashback::

"Av!" I snapped back to reality just in time to see Wolfram about to ram his fist at my body. I was going to move out of the way at first, but when I felt a stream of water from underneath my arm coming out of the glacier, I just stayed in place and took the hit.

-Normal-

"AV!" Natsu violently punches Zalty and instantly rushes to Avery's aid, sending the masked man straight towards the water below. "Karyu no Tekken!" Natsu dashes over to where Wolfram then jumps straight at him

"You think you can beat me brat? You're a thousand years- oh..." Wolfram brings amateur closer to his face. "Now this is interesting..." Out of nowhere, Wolfram l started to feel his other fist being pushed back by force. Both quickly look over to see one hand stick out and grab the side of his fist while another comes out and does the same. "No matter how many times you beat me to the ground-" Avery pushes even harder to reveal her battered up body. "-you and no one else will ever keep me grounded ever again!" She uses her legs to push the large fist away and kicks herself off the glacier, flying atraight into his fast with a fist covered with storm winds.

Ulric was sent flying on impact, making his lose his hold on the fire dragon slayer as he crashes against the wall. "AHHHHH!" Right before he could fall even further, Avery flew down and grabbed Natsu just in time. As she lowers him down to the ground, Avery started to feel light headed and loses balance, prompting Natsu to quickly catch her when she was about to fall to the ground. "Sorry... But I don't know if I'll be able to move for a while..." apologizes the girl. Natsu hugs her closer to his body in response. "Don't apologize... Just take it easy." If only it were that easy. Suddenly, a loud crack noise was heard from behind there backs.

Natsu protectively hold Avery closer to him on instinct as he glances up at the ice glacier. Most pieces of ice started to fall as the whole temple started to shake from top to bottom. Being too focused on her short and final confrontation with Wolfram, Avery never noticed that the moon drip had already successfully melted through the ice and was already moments before it was going to burst out of it's ice prison. So she had no other choice but to helplessly watch as Deliora finally breaks free from his ice prison, letting out a long roar that made both dragon slayers to almost cover their ears in pain. Zalty reemerges to see this, happily exclaiming, "Finally, the time has come!"

**To Be Continued**

**Now I know what you're wondering. If this is a natsu x oc fanfic, why is it all about Gray's feelings in this? Well if you must know... this is a Natsu x oc VS Gray x oc fanfic so it's kind of obvious I'd want you guys to start ranting who'd Av should end up with. XD But the pairing names my friends made up still haunt my head... Anyway, the other reason is because the Galuna arc is all about Gray's past. So every certain arc that focuses on a certain fairy tail character, I'll show you what exactly Av's relationship to that character is. But of course it all depends on you guys if you want Av to be with Natsu or Grap. ;) I already made up two alternative endings for that.**


	14. Chapter 12

~Av's Intro~

_'The past is the past.  
If you don't look past it, you'll never  
be able to truly live your life. I almost  
gave in if it wasn't for them. I  
shall continue looking forward to  
the future every single day of my life.'_

* * *

**_~Chapter 12 - Reach to the starry sky!~_**

-Me-

I just couldn't believe it. After all those years, he's out. He's truly out. Well, his head at least. "Crap! I don't have time for this..." Natsu carries me over to the nearest big stalactite and carefully places me down. "Natsu...?" I weakly mutter as he pulls away. "I'll take care of both masky and Deliora! You just stay here and rest," he said as he stands straight up and faces Zalty, but stops when I instantly grab his hand. "I can still-" Natsu interrupts me, "No! You're staying here and that's final! I can't protect you at the same time protect this island!" A blush spreads across my cheeks as my hold on Natsu loosens.

I gap at Natsu's back as he walks towards Zalty in a confident manner. 'When did he mature so much...?' I thought to myself as I watch the fight commence, sitting in place in awe. Compared to the hotheaded boy that was able to break my walls back then, here before me stands a man ready to protect everyone no matter what the costs. At the corner of my eye, I instantly spot Ulric already bursting out from where he was. "He's still alive!?" I glance over at Natsu, who was still focused on his current fight, then back at the giant wolf that was shaking off any remaining pieces of rock from his fur. "Why can't they ever stay down...? I can't let Natsu or anyone fight them..."

"Ranryū no tatsumaki!" (Storm dragon's tornado) I held hold of my hands forward as a dark grey magic array appears with a sudden spiraling tornado coming out of it not long after. Ulric's body goes straight up into the air. I wasn't done there. I flipped my goggles on and flew straight towards him with a storm already gathered up around my fist. "Ranryū no ranken!" My fist collided against his face. His body starts to twist around as the storm winds spiral around his body and struck my sparks of lightening every now and then. My wound starts to bleed again, but I still forced myself to fight.

"Ranryū no Hōkō" I bellowed as the large amount of storm flies straight at Wolfram. He manages to push against it, but I did a 'second push' which seemed to have surprised him and did a fair amount of damage on his body. Blood started to gush from one arm, but he just covers it with his hand and growls. "You should have died that day along with the rest of them..." I flinched at his words. "It's true that I should have died for what I've done... but that doesn't mean-!" I flew directly in front of Wolfram and flipped around in the air. "-I'll continue to live just because I want to! I want to live for their sake! The ones who made tried so hard to make me learn how to smile! And for the one who saved me from myself and never thought twice of breaking down those walls! I will look to the future! The future I want to have with them! Ranryū no Rasengaku!"

The storm wraps around my legs and instantly explodes into a storm, spin kicking Ulric. He uses his arms to block it from contacting any other part of his body, but the force was so great that I could almost feel the bones in his arm start to shatter. I almost backed away when he tried to bite me. "Hey! No biting!" I didn't even notice his tail when it suddenly comes swinging at me. It strikes me against straight to the wall, making me crash hard against the solid rock. Right as I tried to pull myself out, I almost screamed in pain when Ulric grabs my head and almost uses his claws to dig into my skull.

Losing balance due the the pain that continued to build up, I fall to the ground in a loud thud and rolled on my side. Right as I tried to pull myself up, I almost screamed in pain when Ulric grabs my head and almost uses his claws to dig into my skull. "Tell me... do you seriously think we don't have souls?" I was surprised at his sudden question. "You always say we'll forever live on in memory... but you also claim that we aren't truly alive... Then what are we!? Have you ever thought twice if your actions are just solidifying your fate and how it affects us!?" He pries me out off the ground and makes me hang in the air as he holds me by my head.

"Look at your friend! Do you think he will ever accept you for what you are? He's trying to save an island, a tribe, his human friends from a demon of destruction! You think he won't hesitate to do the same when the time comes?"

I force one eye to open as I watch Natsu fight Zalty all by himself. He was struck by so many of those crystal orbs I almost thought he was going to pass out from all the pain, but seeing how Natsu wasn't going to give up I knew he would win. And I'm not saying this because of the dumb idea how good triumphs over evil 'No-' I grab onto two of the large sharp nails and separately pushed them away. 'It's because of his determination that Natsu always finds a way to win! And I'm going to do the same!' I tightly held on and used all of my strength to flip Ulric- who was caught off guard at my sudden burst of strength- over my head and down to the ground.

As I conjured up as much as I could create on one leg, I moved to dive kick him right as Ulric stands up only for my spell to cancel out when my entire body suddenly went limp for no apparent reason. My body is at its limit. Unable to move another inch, I helplessly watch as Ulric grabs my head again with one hand and his sharp claws ready to slash. 'C'mon body! Move!' "Let me ask you one more time-" Ulric raised his arm up in the air and asks me one more time, "Do you still believe we don't have souls!? Did Red's death by the hands of her creator mean nothing!?" There was a sharp pain in my head.

::Memory::_  
_

_I sat in the green fields with my legs crossed, cheerfully humming to myself as I completed the last stitch of the little doll._

_"Hm... let's see... I'm going to name you, Red! It's my favorite color so you better wear that color and say declare you name out with pride!"  
__'Back at sowing again I see?'  
__"Reisswind! Look! Isn't she pretty?"  
__'She is. Where did you get all this cloth from?'_

::End of Memory::

"Of course it did... that why I had to end it myself..." my answer only seemed to anger Ulric even further. "She told us to bring you back alive, but you're still useful to us even as a corpse!" Finally, I snapped, "You think I liked killing her? Haven't you thought once I didn't regret what I did? It's true a monster has no right to live for the things I've done... and the fact that I'm still here while they aren't haunts me every day. And this stupid curse that was placed on me doesn't help! I love every one of you! I wanted you guys to have a life of your own! But I don't want to see you suffer any further from my sins!"

"Shut your trap!" I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the worse to come. I almost wanted to welcome death for the first time in what seems like ages. But it never came. Instead, I felt Ulric's hold on me loosen and then became enveloped in a strange, yet comforting, warmth wrapping around my body. "Don't you touch her!" My eyes shot open, tears flying out as my mouth hangs in surprise at voice. "For the last time already! Don't put your life on the line!" It was Natsu. "Hold on! I have to..." I trailed once I see Ulric head tilted back from the punch. Natsu lets out a snarl and protectively holds me with one arm as his other is engulf with flames.

Ulric stumbles on his feet but is quick to recover. Bringing his hand up, Ulric holds his jaw and forces it back in place. I flinch a bit when I heard the loud snap of the bones being adjusted back in place. "So another monster has arrived," Ulric smirks, causing Natsu to bare out more of his teeth in response. "I must say 'Typhoon', you must feel right at home. So these are the kind of people you used as replacements." "Shut up..." "Look at this guy!" he cackles. "He's wearing a scarf just like a certain old pal of yours!" "Shut up..." I repeat, but in a much more threatening voice. "No wonder why she has kept him in high regard. His death will definitely-"

"Shut up!" I extend a hand and a strong, spiraling storm explodes from out of the magic array that appeared and slams straight against Ulric's body. But my magic was so depleted that it didn't harm him as much as it usually would. Instead, it just looked like a simple breeze to the wolf. It would still hurt your average human, but at the level he's at, I have to be at full power in order to incapacitate him long enough for us to get away. We can't beat him If it wasn't for how my fight with Red went near the end, I wouldn't be looking this helpless right now. Especially in front of the last person I want to see me in this state again.

Ulric just laughs. My arm goes limp to my side. Natsu squeezes my body in response as his body began to heat up. "You don't know anything about Av!" Ulric's smile just grew. "And you think you do? Tell me brat, do you even know why she hates humans so much?" "I do..." I froze at his response. "But that was the old her. The Av I know still does but it's different now. She's different. So whatever you think she is, she's not! She's a member of Fairy Tail and always will be!" I didn't even realize I was crying until I felt Natsu brings his other arm to embrace me. We both winced in pain when Deliora let out another ear bleeding roar.

My body trembled once I see the, now completely free, Deliora. "So this is it..." We were surprised to see Ulric dash away like that but neither of us could move another inch when the roar intensified, causing us to go deaf due to our enhanced hearing. Natsu then spots Gray through the rubble and quickly throws me over my shoulders and starts jumping to his direction. "Gray!" he calls out. "We've got no choice! We have to destroy that thing!" My blood ran cold at the thought of them fighting it. "No! You can't fight him! I'll handle it!" I object. When I tried to move, the wound started to throb again. "No!" Both boys yell.

Not long after, Lyon starts to crawl over to where we stood. "It's impossible for you! I will... defeat it... In order to surpass Ur, I will defeat it!" After all this time, he's still bent on trying to kill Deliora. "It's more impossible for you!" Natsu points out. Deliora lets out another roar that causes the whole cave to shake once more. "We finally meet again... Deliora!" My frown deepens. Seeing him get back up with that crazed look in his eyes, Lyon stands as he cries out, "I am... going to... surpass you!" Gray didn't hesitate to knock Lyon out by striking him behind the neck. "Enough Lyon." I couldn't completely see where Gray was going, but the moment I heard the sound of splashing water, I knew what he was going to do.

"Leave the rest to me."  
"No... You can't... not again! Gray!"

"Sorry Avery," Gray gets into the stance for the spell and continues, "but I don't want that thing to kill anymore even innocent lives. Think of this as revenge for what he did to you and Reisswind. I will seal Deliora! Iced shell!" I push myself out of Natsu's hold and cry out in tears once a sudden burst of cold ice starts to swirl around him. "Don't do it!" "Don't do it, Gray! Do you know how long it took to melt? You're just repeating history!" As much as I hated the fact Lyon was still more concerned about Deliora being sealed up again, I have to agree. This won't do anyone any good! "One day I'll melt it and challenge it again!"

"This is the only way..." Gray mumbles. I was going to move forward but I was still too injured to move too much. However, Natsu was quick enough to jump in between Gray and Deliora. "Natsu!" he gasps. "I'll fight it," Natsu declares. Gray looks at him with anger and disbelief, "Move, Natsu! Don't get in my way!" "I stopped you earlier because I don't want you to die... Maybe I didn't get through to you?" Natsu said calmly. "And besides... you seriously want to do this again in front of Av? If you're gonna use that magic, then do it." I couldn't believe what Natsu's saying. "Natsu..." Deliora then starts to move and has his large fist raised at us.

I gap in horror but felt a sudden wave strike my body. "Is Deliora... no it can't be..." As Deliora's fist starts coming at the two men, Gray yells, "Dodge it!" Natsu didn't care. With his fist already covered in flames, Natsu raises his fist up as well. "I'm not gonna give up 'till the end!" With their fists colliding, I watch in awe as their fists collide in a brilliant green light and a burst of dancing flames. As if a snap sound was heard only by me, I knew then and there Deliora was already defeated. Cracks appears from Deliora's fist, then to the rest of his arm until it explodes. More cracks started to appear with bits of green light coming out of it.

"What? That wasn't me..." Natsu mutters in confusion as he looks down at his fist. We all watch as the once destructive demon falls apart like a statue. "Deliora was long dead before we arrived," I spoke up. "Its magic and soul has been completely sucked out of it during it's time inside it's ice prison." "How are you so sure!?" Lyon demands. I look down at him with a serious look in my eyes, saying out loud for all to hear, "Like you said earlier Lyon, I made contact with that Demon. Because a long time ago, I was given the ability to hear and see the souls of those deceased." I look on as the water starts to flow out to the outside of the temple.

I confessed, "When Azul and I were making our way to this island, I saw something after I fell over the boat and into the ocean." All eyes were on me the moment I said that.

"I didn't know whose soul it was at the time. When it showed me their memories, I only knew that they knew Gray before he became a part of the guild and there was a fellow apprentice named Lyon. Then I remembered the story... of a great Ice wizard that sacrificed her own life to seal away the demon. It looks like during her time as ice, she drained the demon of its magic and slowly killed it as time went on. She most likely knew someone out there might try to free Deliora one day, so in order to do that, Ur did whatever she could before that time came."

I smile over at the awestruck ice wizard and dragon slayer, "Ur was... no- Is a great mage and teacher who loved her pupils very dearly." Gray brings a hand up to cover his eyes and starts to cry. "Thank you very much... shishou (teacher)..." Natsu gives a toothy grin at Gray's reaction. "I can't surpass her... I never could..." Lyon mutters, probably regretting his actions. I slid of the rock to stand at his side. "Maybe during her life you couldn't... but you're here and you'll continue to get stronger. And maybe someday, you will as you continue to live. You and Gray are her legacy." There was this warm feeling that flowed throughout my body.

As I look over at the flowing water, I could hear a faint voice not to far from where I stood, "Thank you..." Ur may be gone, but she still lives on in the memories of those close and her soul will forever swim free in the vast oceans. Natsu walks over to me then bring me into a tight hug. Gray comes over as well to place a hand over my head and lean against my back. I chuckled and hugged them both. They're probably still worried about me since I'm now even more beaten than last time and have a lot of questions after hearing what I just said. There was no longer a reason to hide it from them anyways. Either way, them and the others would have found out sooner or later.

"You really have a lot of explaining to do," Natsu jokes as he lets out a pained laugh. My eyes start to swell up with tears. "Yeah..."

||Beach Side||

"Oh yeah, it's finished!" Natsu cheers, along side with Happy. "Aye sir!" Not long after, Azul comes flying straight past me then tackles the blue cat. "Happy~!" "Does that mean we can go to the second floor now!?" Lucy adds happily, ignoring the two cats. Everyone felt Erza's death glare on the spot in the midst of their short celebration, making all of them but me tremble and remembered the punishment they're going to receive once we get back. "Oh crap! I forgot that we're gonna be punished!" Lucy exclaims. Azul and I raise a hand up and smile with mischievous glint in our eyes. "Sorry! We're safe since I have permission to take S-Class quests even though I'm not an S-Class wizard yet!" I start.

Azul cheerfully adds, "So that means you four will have to face this on your own!" "Traitors!" Lucy cries as a waterfall of tears stream down her face. I panic and tried to calm her down, "H-Hey! Don't worry! We were just kidding right Azul?" She was going to say something but changed her mind on what she was about say when she saw the look I had in my eyes. "Yes ma'am! Avery isn't as heartless as Erza! Most of the time..." I will make sure to get back at Azul for that when this is all over. "Anyway," I look at the moon and continued, "I don't think this mission over yet." "What do you mean?" Lucy asks.

I look over at Erza, who nods and asks the groups, "Wasn't the real point of this job to save the villagers who have been turned into demons?" I add as I put a hand on my hip, "The S-Class mission isn't over just yet." "But Deliora's dead, so won't this stop the curse?" Lucy and the others were confused once we pointed it one, but I think the celestial mage slightly knew something was off by the way she looked at the two of us. "No. The source of that curse was not Deliora," Erza crosses her arms and continues, "the tremendous magical power of the Moon Drip has caused disaster to befall the people. The fact that Deliora has now crumbled would not have improved the situation."

"Oh, no..." gasps the blonde, bringing a hand close to her mouth as her eyes widen at the sudden realization. "Then we'll hurry up and cure them!" I just smirk at Natsu's words. Happy happily agrees and high fives his partner, "Aye sir!" I sweat drop wondering to myself, 'Why do I have a feeling you're thinking of literally beating the curse out of them...? Maybe it's time to tell them? The Moon Drip does have some side effects but I can't remember on what. I just know it has no true effect on humans.' "How should we do that?" Gray then stops and looks over at Lyon, who was on the ground with his back leaning against a boulder.

"Hey, Lyon-" I stop the ice wizard, saying, "It's no use asking him he has no idea about it." Smirking at first, Lyon's face instantly hardens as he answers, "Like she said I don't know." "Say what?" Natsu raises an eye brow. "What!" both Azul and Happy repeat, though Happy was more seriously compared to the black stripped cat beside him with large hearts for eyes. "Wait, if these guys don't know, what are we going to do Avery-san?" I had to force myself to remind her to stop calling me that but this is more important than honorifics. "First we need to find out what Lyon knows so we can have a clearer image of the situation." Erza and Lucy seemed impressed while Natsu and Gray were caught off guard at my sudden act of maturity. "Lyon," I turn to face him, "I know that you're in no position... but I think it would save us all the trouble if you can just tell us your side of the story."

Glaring at me straight in the eye, he sighs once he sees that a simple 'no' won't make me back down.

"Three years ago when we came here, we knew there was a village on this island. But we did not interfere with the villagers. And they never came to see us even once."  
"Three years... not once?"  
"And wait, the Moon Drip would have landed on the ruins every night. So it's really strange that they'd never come to investigate. And there remain a number of questions about the effect the Moon Drip has on people's bodies."

I think Azul started to picture something and suddenly screams in terror, "I don't want to be a purple flying monster!" I just sweat drop, stating, "You do know that if it did have an effect on you, then you'd be one of them by now." "How would you know!? It's not like as if you've turned into a monster before!" I froze when Azul said that. Much to everyone's confusion, I silently turn and started to walk away with my head slightly bowed. I stopped for a brief moment to point out, "Think about it... three years they've been under the same light. That should give you a clear picture on what we should do, right Erza?"

Surprised at first, Erza nods in acknowledgement to my words, earning a short tired smile from me as I continued to walk in the direction of the camp. Not long after, there was a sound of running footsteps behind my back. "Av!" I was caught off guard when a sudden arm slings around my shoulders. "You were so cool back there! We should go on another mission after this!" I sweat drop, pointing out to the wound, "I think it'll be a while until I can go on another mission... but sure! I'll make sure the to pick toughest job for us!" "Oh yeah! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu's sudden movement unintentionally caused my wound to sting in pain when I was suddenly pulled in a rough manner.

He quickly apologizes when he sees this but I just wave it off and told him I was fine. **'That's a lie... besides, you can't keep your promise again remember?' **I almost froze at the familiar voice. 'That voice again... it can't be a spirit... Are they using telepathy?' For a long time, I've always had this voice talking inside my head whenever my negative emotions were triggered. Sometimes they acted as a bad omen. "Av?" Shaking this off, I smile up at Natsu and started to drag him to the camp much to his confusion.

-Gray-

"Is she really that important to you?" I was surprised to hear Lyon speak up when I was about to run after the others. I slowly turn to face him only to see him giving me a smug look as he crosses his arms. Without answering, I just smile and walked away. "To think someone like you would fall head over heels for that girl... How are you so sure that your feelings are that strong?" There was still no way I was going to answer him. I'll let my actions speak louder than words.

||Camp||

"Where is everyone?" Lucy wonders out loud as we walk through the deserted camp area. "I'm going to get medicine. Don't go exerting yourself Avery!" Gray orders before stepping inside a tent. "Eh...!?" Natsu clicks his teeth in annoyance and turns around. "Did anyone leave before you left Azul?" I ask the cat, who was looking around in confusion at the no empty camp. "I swore they were all here! Maybe they packed up and left after hearing Deliora?" That could be a possibility. Even with their demon like appearances, I doubt anyone would have the guts to stick around when the first sign of danger is literally that close to where you live. Erza stops and crosses her arms.

"I doubt they'd disappear just like that. Otherwise, we would have seen them by now since this island isn't that large." Suddenly, a lizard looking man ran up to where we stood when we stopped to try and figure out what was happening. "You've all returned? There's a problem!"

||The Village||

"It's back to normal!?" Azul and I exclaim at the same time. "Was it him? Couldn't be... Maybe that guy had a change of heart?" Natsu mutters after he finishes punching the side of one of the houses to check if it was real. In an instantly, he crosses his arms with a pleased smile along with Happy in suite. "Whatever!" "Aye, sir!" I tried to keep myself from laughing while Lucy looks on at the two in confusion. "Ahh, you're okay with that!?" I pat Lucy's back with Azul just sighing. "Boys will be boys so let's just take this moment to relax," I casually smile as I moved to follow Natsu. While walking, I did wince a bit again and looked down to see a blood stain slowing growing on the white cloth.

Azul looks at me, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? I could cancel the request once we get home." I really do appreciate her concerns, but she and I both know that cancelling a request like that so soon would not only ruin the guild's reputation but also put the client's lives at risk if something isn't done sooner. Just before we found out about Happy stealing an s-class mission, we were suddenly approached by someone who was looking for help for the clients that were requesting the mission. No guild wanted to take it so he had no idea who to turn to. That's why I was going to ask Natsu about it since I don't want him to worry after the last time I left without a word.

While talking, a cloaked man walks past us, causing me to abruptly stop when I caught his scent. "Avery?" I quickly turn around to see the man sprint into a run. "Wait!" One false move instantly sent a wave of pain throughout my body, forcing me fall on my side after my legs buckled and gave in. "I really need to stop moving so much..." Azul hovers over me, unsure of whether to call for help or try and do something herself since she knows how much I hate causing everyone trouble. "Er! What should I do!? My partner's going to die and I can't do anything!" As she mentally struggles to figure out how to help me, I soon start to notice how all the villagers were starting to gather at the gate entrance while I was still lying on the floor.

"Azul," I spoke up, making her finally stop and put her full attention on me. "I'll be fine as long as I don't move too much. Why don't you go to the others and see what's going on? I'm sure the guys have figured something up." "But-" She knows there's no way she can come up with a proper protest. I place a hand on her head. "You've seen me gone through worse. I'll catch up with you guys soon."

-Azul-

Avery needed her rest and I know that, but to leave her like this is something I honestly don't want to do. She's my partner, my best friend. I always try to tell her that she's not being a burden if she's hurt, and there is no way she's protecting everyone if she keeps jumping into action so recklessly. Now look at her. When Avery heard Red's threats, I could see that she wasn't going to go easy on her and didn't even think twice on what will happen to her. Sighing, I give her a quick hug before carefully flying to the gate. I look back to see her still smiling at me then turns her head to look up at the sky. 'I wonder what she's thinking...?'

Not one second and things already turned 360 in an instant. "We're going to destroy the moon," I hear Erza proclaim. "WHAT!?" I wasn't the only one screaming. "What's going on!? Did Erza get affected by the curse or something!?" From what I heard before I left, some of the villagers were discussing about destroying the moon. And that old man with those extremely long sideburns being extremely serious about it with how much he keeps rambling how we MUST destroy the moon. I thought they were just being desperate to get back to normal. Not actually think it's the moon's fault for their curse! "Awesome! So we'll chuck that at the moon and blow it up!? I'm definitely in!" Natsu cheers as he happily gets ready for whatever Erza has in mind.

"Um... can someone tell me what's going on!?" I fly over to the three as the continued to stand in place like statues, completely speechless at what was happening. "Erza wants to destroy the moon so they everyone can return to their original forms and needs Natsu's help in order to do so but..." Lucy glances over at the overly excited dragon slayer. "I think the villagers are getting their hopes too high if they think this is actually going to work." "Let's get this thing started!" For a moment, there, I almost thought Natsu will be the only volunteer ever from our team to seriously agree to this crazy plan Titania has cooked up.

And for once my big mouth didn't predict the worse. It just happened! "Think I can land a hand?" Some of the demon villagers step to the side to let a certain storm dragon slayer though as she slowly makes her way to where Natsu and Erza were, barely keeping herself on her feet and keeps her hand over the wound. "No you-" Erza was cut off when Natsu instantly protests in a much louder voice, "No way in hell you can! As if I'm going to let you fly around anymore with that large hole! Erza and I can handle this." And she did not look too happy about that. She places a hand over her guild make and squeezes it as her face starts to darken.

"I've said this many times already... I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. You told me yourself before, that a fairy tail wizard stays true to their word and finishes a mission till the end! I've already pushed myself over the limit too many times today. So why not let me push myself on last time for their sake?"

All of us look at one another as Avery continues to firmly stand her ground in front of the two. I bit my lip and fly to my partner's side. "Azul?" I hear Happy. I painfully ignore him and grab onto Avery's back, much to her surprise. "You can leave this to me, partner!" Avery gaps in surprise when she see's me. "You're honestly going to fly straight up there? That's crazy!" All I did was smirk at the ice stripper's words. I raise my chin up as I confidently answer with a smile, "Of course I can! I can reach Avery's speed in no time! Just say the words and I'm ready to go!" Everyone always wonders why I never carry Avery around like Happy does with Natsu.

Well our partnership is different! "Are you sure...? I mean your wings-" I quickly shut her up by lifting her a few inches off the ground while painfully trying not to scream how heavy she is at the same time. Hey, I said I'm fast not strong. And it is a bit of a hassle to lift the dragon slayer with how messed up my wing is. But that won't stop me from helping my friend prove a point! "Just leave the flying to me!" One moment, she was still looking at me with wide eyes and her jaw was slightly hanging. Then she clenches her teeth and tears start to pour out of her eyes. "Thanks... Partner..." "Yes ma'am!"

-Back to Me-

I look back at my two friends, more determined than ever to help 'destroy' the moon now that Azul's got my back. Literally. Erza lightly pushes Natsu's back as if to encourage him to say something. Ruffling his hair, he reaches over and pulls down my goggles for me. "We're countin' on ya!" I didn't know what to say. I look behind my back to see the other smiling.

"Don't push yourself too hard Avery-san! You can do it!"  
"Aye sir! Fly straight for the stars!"  
"We'll be right down were waiting."

Turning my attention back to the moon, Erza walks over and places a hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be tough, but with the combination of the throwing power of Giant Armor, Natsu's strength, and your flight. We'll definitely be able to break through. Are you sure you still have some energy left in you for this?" As I gathered up a fair amount of wind and lightening around my legs (enough so I won't end up accidentally blasting everyone away by accident), Azul lifts me up higher to show our response. She nods, "Good. Now get ready!" Right when we were about to fly up into position, Natsu suddenly grabs my hand.

"Huh? What is it Natsu?" Wordlessly, he pulls me down so our foreheads would touch. I blink in surprise as Azul tries to suppress her giggles from behind. He grins as he lets me go back up in the air, exclaiming, "Don't hesitate to fall! I'll always be here to catch you!" With warm smile, I glance over at Azul and nod, giving her the signal to fly us for up at the sky. "When Erza throws the spear, we have to go at our fastest speed to add as much power as possible! Think you cam keep up Azul?" Azul just rolls her eyes in respose, "Please! If I was able to keep up with you since I was born, I doubt that THIS will be that much of a challenge! I'm the fastest flyer around!"

I raise an eyebrow at this, giving her a look that asked 'really?' as she flies us up even higher. "We-Well second best..." Azul corrects herself- her ears slightly lowered to reflect her quick defeat. "Do you even know that they're planning at all!? It's not really like you to do something like this off the bat!" I didn't answer her. After a few seconds of silence, I look over my shoulder with a wide smile. "Nope!" She jaw drops in response. I narrowed my eyes as I asked, "Hey... what's with that 'oh shit' look?" "I was just thinking that maybe you should-" There was a loud explosion from below. We look down to see a large amount of smoke at first, then there was a strange object coming out with fire spewing at the end.

"Wait..." I mutter and start to sweat all over. "Is that...?" Azul didn't even get to finish when the spear started to get extremely close to where we were. Azul and I began to panic at this point. I knew the spear would be coming at our direction but not this close! Moving a bit to the side enough for it to move past us, we flew straight after it. The spear was a lot faster than I thought it was earlier. Inching closer and closer, I could feel the cat's hold on me weakening so I decided to use my own strength as well to keep her from straining herself more than she has to. "You don't have to push yourself anymore! I can take things from here!" Azul shakes her head and forces herself to pick up the speed.

"I'm fine! I'll always fly with you till the end! If you're really worried about me, then just focus on what's important and we'll finish this!"

With the spear already inches from 'moon', I instantly let go to allow the spear go straight to it's destination, and watch it pierce through to reveal a glass like layer that instantly cracked on impact. I grab Azul as we began to free-fall backwards. Once it finally shatters, time seemed to slow all around me as the broken fragments fall with me, my eyes entranced at the sight of the moon. "Moon drip..."

::Flashback::

_"It's not working!"_  
_"Well increase the magical power! We need to dispel that monster off the face of this earth now!"  
"But what about the girl? Who knows what will happen to her-"  
"It doesn't matter! After what she's been through? I doubt anyone would want to remember those kinds of things anyway."  
"... Yes sir."_

::End of Flashback::

"AVERY!" I quickly snapped back to reality and found myself falling even faster than how I last remembered it. When I tried to move, the pain from my wound intensify. 'No good... My body won't move anymore! I'm completely out of magic... Azul's not any better, so what now?' "Erza, throw me!" Everything just went dark after that.

-Natsu-

"Gotcha!" I grab hold of Av just as she was halfway to the ground. She was knocked out good this time, but that didn't stop me from saying this, "Told ya, didn't I? I'd always catch you." When I roughly land to the ground, the others gathered around as I held a completely knocked out Av with Azul in her arms. Smiling, Erza reaches and pets her head. "She pushed herself too hard. She must really wanted to make up for what happened with the Eisenwald incident..." Even I still didn't get it. With Av around at the time, I was so sure that the mission would be a cinch, but when she went off on her own like that and came back crashing down, it's like there was something that kept her from going all out like usual.

And it wasn't that her magic was sealed at the time. 'That's right I never even asked how she even fixed herself!' I was going to wake her up to ask her about that but Lucy must have noticed this and nudged him on the side, signaling for him to hit me square in the face. I almost dropped Av if I didn't balance myself back to kick the stripper for payback. "Bastard! Don't hit me while I'm holding Av! If I drop her, it's all on you!" Lucy sighs, "Then don't give her that predator look...! If she wakes up and see's you making that face, I wouldn't blame her if she punched you... Even I would." I tilt my head, confused, "Predator look?"

"It's more like the devil's if you ask me," Azul blurts out all of a sudden. She floats up and stretches, commenting, "Honestly, if it weren't for the fact she's used to sleeping in your arms, she'd be wide awake by now!" That's when all eyes went on me. "She didn't mean it like that!" I yell. "Fufufu! Natsu... so that's why you tell me not to follow when you sneak off to Avery's place," Happy snickers at my answer. That cat will definitely get it later.

+Later+

In the end, all was back to normal on the island. Well, sort of. After going through all that confusion regarding the true forms of the villagers, things were looking good for all the now demon villagers. Bobo's appearance brought tears to many of them when he suddenly appeared to us. Azul even wanted to fly away in fear when someone screamed out "ghost" among the group. "Looks like Gray attracts those types of women," Lucy jokes as she points out to Erza and I the ice mage being surrounded and dragged along by a small group of demon girls. I laugh at this while Erza smiles on and continues to drink.

"Avery-san! Over here!"

I was forced to put Av down earlier so she could be treated, so I just waited around and ate as much fire I could get my hands on to keep my mind focused on something else. When I turned, I completely forgot the torches and dropped them. One going on a random demon villagers foot. She stood there, shyly looking around and kept hugging herself until she finally spots us at the table. "Hey guys!" Av was going to run to us but instantly stops- her face turning pale and forces herself to smile through the pain. I quickly run to her side to give her support. "Thanks..." Av mutters. I grin down at her, "No prob!" She really did look different than when she wore her usual clothes.

Putting a hand on her head, I ruffle her hair a bit and comment, "You should wear things like that more often!" "Not gonna happen," Av places a hand over her bandaged stomach and said, "besides these are just borrowed clothes from the villagers. I doubt they'd even let me take this even if I asked. Besides, I feel more free with the clothes you guys got me. Especially my goggles!" I could feel my cheeks heat up when I see her proudly pointing them out to me. "L-Let's go to the others!" Grabbing her hand, I unconsciously dragged her in the opposite direction of where we're actually supported to go, causing the others to yell at me as Av continues to laugh.

-Back to Me-

One of the village children taps my shoulder and presents me with a hand-made flower necklace. I wasn't quite sure if I should take it since I felt that I don't deserve it, but after getting a few nudges from Lucy and encouraging looks from the two cats and Erza, I accepted it and allowed her to put it on me. She smiles brightly when she sees the necklace on me and rushes over to her parents, who both glanced over at me with a look a gratitude. "Hey Avery!" Gray calls as he signals me to come over. I glace at the girls and shrug, then run to his side. "That's a nice necklace! It really suites you," he smiles at me.

"Can't say the same for you when you're stripped of all the things the kids gave you," I point out and burst out laughing when Gray realizes he was missing a few clothes again. Lucy comes over to my side and states, "It really does suit you Avery-san. That kid was really sweet to give you something hand made. Definitely better than what the old man has ready for us when we leave." "We're still getting out reward?" I ask the stellar mage. Sighing, Lucy shakes her head with a small smile on her lips, "Erza felt that their gratitude is all we need. They still felt grateful and threw us this part. We're going to get punished anyway so either way, we'd definitely lose the reward."

"It's not always about reward," I spoke up. I put my hands behind my back and smile up at the moon. "The smiles on the faces of those you helped is all that matters. If you have the power to help others, then it's best to not waste it." "Yeah..." Lucy and I look at one another and simply laughed for no reason. The feast was grand until... they appeared."You two!?" Lucy gasps. Natsu drops the torches and automatically stands in front of me protectively. "You did a number of Reitei pretty good... He can't even move," eyebrows starts with his usual big grin. Dolly finishes, "And we came here for revenge." It all happened so fast, one moment the two were standing and the next, they were knocked down to the ground with just one punch.

+Later+

The reason they arrived wasn't so that they can take their revenge on us, but for us to take revenge on them instead. They have every right to feel guilty for what happened, no matter how you look at it, it's a given fact that forgiveness isn't something that can easily be given right off the bat. 'But then...' I glace over at the others. 'Humans have their reasons for revenge no matter how you look at it. I guess I'm no different either. But compared to them...' My hand automatically reaches over to my necklace, tightly gripping it and thought, 'I can't just go on and pretend it never happened.'

Out of nowhere, someone grabs my hand and forcefully sits me right next to Dolly- I mean Sherry. We both stare and blink in surprise. "H-Hi..." we both awkwardly greet one another. "Now don't be like that Avery! It's a party! Right? Happy?" Azul's eyes quickly turn into hearts, leaning against the blue cat happily, who nearly chokes on his own fish in response and tries to scoot himself away from her hold. Seeing the change in atmosphere, from fear to sudden happiness again, I reach over to one of the plates of food in hopes of making a peace offering. "About before," Sherry spoke up. "I truly do apologize... for treating you that way."

I didn't understand until I remembered when she brought me to where Deliora was. Unsure of what to say, I just turned to face her directly and stuck my arm out. She blinks and looks down at my stiff hand. "That was supposed dark wizard that wanted to revive Deliora for good reasons but was making a million mistakes at the same time." Sherry freezes. I grab her hand and shake it. "The person sitting beside me is a potential new friend." I know being blunt is something I've tried to control, but I really had no idea how to act properly to someone who was my enemy earlier and is suddenly my ally.

'That's a lot to take in just from waking up...' What I didn't expect were to see tears in her eyes. "Thank you..." Remembering her pet rat, I dig into my pockets and brought out a pink ribbon. "This is for your pet... I wasn't the one to beat her up, but I didn't really mean to call her all those mean things..." Now it was her turn to figure out what to say. Yuka groans, "Just take it already Sherry. Listening to you two talk is making my ears ache." Our eyes twitch simultaneously at this. Conjuring up a small storm cloud in my hand behind my back, I sent it up floating towards Yuka's head and make it spark one flash of lightening before it started pouring on him.

"Avery!" Erza bashes me on the head no long after. The party continued on after that. I soon found myself standing near the village gates and watched as everyone laughed and had fun. Smiling sadly as the celebration continued, I take off the flower necklace that was given to me and silently made my way out of the village.

-Normal-

Music started to play and some of the villagers started to dance when a bonfire was lift. "Hey Av! Let's-" Natsu stops when he notices the girl was nowhere in sight. He runs up to the others, asking them, "Hey! Have you seen Av around?" Lucy shakes her head as Erza answers, "I was actually wondering the same thing now that I think about it. She's usually the type to dance when there's a bonfire around." "She couldn't have gotten far. Let's search for her around the village without disrupting the party," Gray suggests, earning quick nods from all the others and instantly started the search.

Happy was too busy to help as he was more focused on not being 'attacked' by Azul as she kept begging him for a dance. Natsu and Gray ended up encountering one another during the search. They glared at one another for a brief moment until Natsu catches the scent of the flowers Avery wore before the party started. He turns his head to see them abandoned near the entrance of the village. Although they didn't want to, both men knew that they must look for her together so they gave each other a silent look of temporary truce and ran out to look for her.

-Back to Me-

Once I reached the shores of the island, I took a deep breath as I bent down to touch the cool ocean waters. "Ur... Are you there?" I quietly ask. At first there was silence. Just before I was about to give up and head back to the village, a small like appeared in the water not too far from where I was. I stood up at the same time as a glowing white figure began to emerge from the water. "Thank you for helping..." spoke a woman voice, sending chills down my spine at the weird sensation the voice brought. I shook my head and smile, "It's not me you should be really thanking... It was all your pupil's doing. He and everyone else worked hard to make Lyon realize what he was doing had a negative effect on others. I was just there to help."

She chuckles as her head starts to appear properly, "I wouldn't be saying this to the girl that was able to understand my message. Honestly... those two pupils of mine have caused me so much trouble even though I'm dead. I'm glad you're here though. When I sensed in the ocean, I just knew you'd be able to stop Lyon. Your gift is something very special." So, that's why she came to me. I sadly smile at her and covered one eye with my hand, confessing, "Actually... this so-called gift of mine was something I never wanted." Confused at first, Ur silently listens as I continued, "It's not actually a gift as you humans call it. It's a thing that is foul in nature, and such as my case, can only work when I feel negative emotions; such as fear, anger, sorrow, and many others. That's the one bad thing about being human. I feel those emotions every single day because of what I've done. I deserve it..."

Suddenly, I felt her ghostly hand touch my cheek. "You shouldn't think of it like that. You need to accept it so that you will no longer suffer as much as you are now. True, we humans have done terrible things in the past, but those who want to atone for what they did continue to live for that purpose. The reason your curse has evolved because you allowed it too." Soon enough, her body began to glow even brighter. "It seems my time is up. I can finally be at peace knowing that my legacy will continue... in both my pupils and my daughter. I'm glad to see that she's still alive." "Daughter? Wait Ur!" And then she was gone.

As I watched the small bits of light fade down to the calm blue waters, I stood there in awe as I tried to comprehend what just happened. "Accept... my curse...?"

::Flashback::

_I continue to whimper in fear as the familiar ghostly voices continue to echo all around me- my body slightly shivering from the cold as I laid in my hammock. When the voices started to get closer, I squeezed my eyes shut and quickly covered my ears. "Please... go away... just go away...!" Tears began to form the longer the spirits continued to stay. I shouldn't have raised my voice. Thanks to my sudden outburst, the spirits seemed to take notice of me and realized that I could hear them by the way they started to whisper to one another. If I had known this I wouldn't have said anything at all._

::End of Flashback::

After all this of being forced to get used to seeing ethereal bodies of thousands of souls and hear their voices whenever some passes my house there was still a part of me that continued to fear it. Although I could make it more spacious and make my hammock away from the ground, I could still hear them no matter how many times I tried to mentally block it out. Sighing, I hugged myself and crouch so I could be closer to the ocean shore. I never thought I'd ever hear the very thing I've hated for most of my life to be an actual give. From Gray's own teacher too!

Then I realized remembered something else important. "Oh right that mission… I really shouldn't have accepted it on the spot... I just got back and I still... sigh..." I never told the others yet, but before I found out about what Natsu and Happy taking an S-Class mission, there was this mission that I couldn't reject. "But... how am I going to tell them?" "Oi Av!" I was surprised to hear the dragon slayer's voice. I look over my shoulder and I was even more surprised to see the man, standing there with his arms crossed and flashes me his usual toothy grin. I almost wanted to laugh when I spotted the bruises on his face.

"Must have been one hell of a party." He snickers a bit in response. I tried to smile as best as possible and fought back the tears, but when I closed my eyes I accidentally let a single tear slip out. I quickly turn away when I saw his eyes widen. I rub my eyes, stating, "You should be back to the party." "I can't enjoy a party without my best friend around! So of course, I'd come looking for you!" I yelp in surprise when Natsu plops himself on the sand to my right. "It's not the same if you're not the one dancing around," he adds, placing a hand on my head and smiles at me. I tried to force myself to smile but I just couldn't bring myself to just seeing how easy it was for Natsu.

Catching this, Natsu curiously tilts his head and brings his face close to mine. "Is something wrong?" All I could do is quietly sit in place as I continued to watch the ocean move back and forth against the shore. Not liking my silence at all, I was suddenly caught off guard when Natsu brings his hands to my sides and starts tickling me, causing me to burst out laughing when I failed, miserably, to contain it. He stops and grins at me again, "Didn't I tell you before? You need to smile more often!" I blink in surprise at this until he makes an off topic comment- "Erza's already starting to look older than her age with how she constantly puts on her scary face! It would make sense if she becomes Polyscua's double in the next few years!"

"You really are the strangest human that I have ever known!" My joke was supposed to make them laugh except it only made him concerned with the kind of look he was giving me. 'I guess no matter how good I am at pranks... jokes are still not my caliber at all.' "Av... you still don't consider yourself human after all this time?" I sadly smile and stood up. "Honestly I don't know what I am anymore... human, demon, monster... I've been called many things so I can't really tell the difference between either of them anymore." Frowning at my answer, I expected Natsu to leave only to to grab my hand and lift it up in the air.

"You're Av! That's all that matters!"  
"That doesn't really make any sense Natsu."  
"Well it does for me!"

Sometimes I really don't understand him. 'Maybe that's the reason Natsu is-' I was suddenly pulled to the side and just blink when I see Gray punching Natsu on the face. "That what you get, cheater!" He scoffs when the dragon slayer prepares to fights back. Gray suddenly stands at my side and puts a hand over my shoulder, giving it a short squeeze as he scowls, "You really need to stop thinking these thoughts already. You've been with us long enough to know the difference." I was surprised to knew he heard this but stayed quiet, wondering instead on how long he was listening to our conversation.

Natsu recovers and does the same and reaches for my hand, again, but gazes at me with fearful eyes, "You still don't hate humans, right?" I lean my head on his shoulder in response. "I don't hate humans... I just don't trust most of them. You guys are an exception of course." Hate can easily go away over time. But trust? That's... "Aren't you going to tell us?" Gray and I raise an eyebrow at Natsu's strange question. I saw a flash on annoyance in Natsu's eyes. I already knew what was coming next. Ducking my head down, I stared straight at the ocean as the dragon slayer punches his rival square in the face. Pissed off, Gray follows in suite.

"What's the big idea squinty eyes?!"  
"I could say the same for you, ice stripper! What gives you the right to get all touchy with Av!"  
"It was just a pat on the head you moron! And what do you mean 'get all touchy'? You practically have your hands all over her every time you're near her! Like right now!"  
"So? It's not like she minds!"  
"Same goes for me moron!"

I let out a small laugh during their argument. They look down at me with a confused look in their eyes, completely forgetting their brief fight. Things were peaceful for a moment. My hands let go of theirs and linked my arms around theirs, chaining them to my side as I calmly close my eyes. 'It's really nice... to be surrounded by those you love...' a voice spoke at the back of my head. I ignore it and focused on sinking in on the peace.

**To Be Continued**

**I'll update this later! I just got out from surgery and wanted this to go out before the near year comes around! I swear I'll give this a proper ending!**


End file.
